Acmetropolis 6: Resigned To Fate Revised Version
by furrball
Summary: The final battle between the HOP Force and the Selzerians. Revised version. Rated T as a way to get the alphabet going again. PaulaxDrakexOC.


Acmetropolis 6: "Resigned To Fate" by furrball

Chapter One: "Escape…"

---

"This tribunal of the Intergalactic War Crimes Commission will now convene," intoned a serious voice. "Bring in the accused!" All those present gasped at the sight before them, as a glass-enclosed hover cage was directed to the center of the arena. Imprisoned in that cage was a huge, fierce looking lizard-type being with bright orange eyes.

"Let the records show that the accused is General Artemis Augustus Qurrg, last survivor from the planet Selzer," the voice continued to intone. There was a low murmuring among the crowd who filled the amphitheatre. They had all heard of the Selzerians' reign of terror, as well as the recent destruction of their planet.

"_I WILL HAVE QUIET IN THIS COURT!_" the judge declared. "General Qurrg, you are accused of 14,086 counts of murder and torture alone, not to mention 76,234 other counts too _terrible_ to even mention here, as well as three counts of attempting to cause war between the planets Blanc, Freleng, and Acmetropolis. Have you anything to say on your behalf?"

The general shuffled forward in his cage. "Only that one of your facts needs _correcting_, your honor," he replied.

"I see, and _which_ fact would that be?"

The judge would never know the answer; without warning, the entire amphitheatre exploded. As the smoke died down, General Qurrg, now freed from his cage, was bathed in a bright orange tractor beam that carried him to the last Selzerian death bomber.

Once aboard, General Qurrg took his place in his chair. "Obviously, I'm _not_ the last surviving Selzerian," he chuckled. "_OPEN FIRE!_"

One quick blast, and this planet and everyone on it were engulfed in flames… just before it exploded.

The ship turned around, changing its appearance to that of a Frelengian fighter jet. "What are your orders, General?" asked the navigator.

General Qurrg thought for a second, and smiled, revealing six sets of razor-sharp teeth. "3rd star to the right, and straight on… _to Acmetropolis_…"

---

It was a cool night in Acmetropolis. If you looked at the orb of the Acmetropolis Tower that served as the home for the HOP Force from ground level, you might be forgiven for thinking that it was a solid ball. But if you were to look closer, you would see that it was created with an ingenious grooved wall, designed so that the inhabitants could lean on it and look out at the city, if they wished; or just sit against it and not slide off. At this particular moment, one of the Force was doing precisely the latter… and right now, she was wishing that wall wasn't there. After the day _she'd_ had, sliding off the orb and hitting the ground might actually be kind of fun.

On a _good_ day, the girl could be considered cute, even adorable, with her dark blue hair, soft brown eyes, long slender neck and slightly petite frame. Unfortunately, she _hadn't_ been having a good day. Her friends and fellow teammates knew that, and decided to respect her wishes and leave her alone. It was probably safer that way.

However, she said _nothing_ about calling in a close personal friend from out of planet, which is _exactly_ what they did.

The entrance silently slid open, and a furry brown and tan head peeked out. Its owner padded as silently as he could until he was right next to her, and cleared his throat. "Paula?"

"I thought I told you guys to leave me alone," she snapped, not looking up.

"You might have told them, but _I_ never got any such instructions," he replied with a smile in his voice. That caused the girl to look up. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Her bitter expression changed. "_T-Tech?_ Is that _you??_"

"The uniform makes all the difference," he chuckled.

"You look different without it. Not so… _green_."

"That's the idea," Tech E. Coyote smiled. "Now what's wrong?"

Paula Hayes (aka Weather Vane) stood up and hugged her Loonatic mentor, tears falling down her face. Out of all the Loonatics, Lexi was the one Paula could relate to on a "girl level" (whatever that might be), but Tech was more… she didn't know what the word might be – mature, perhaps; right now, she was just glad he showed up. "Tech," she sobbed, "I… I almost _killed_ someone yesterday."

"What?"

"We were called in on a hostage crisis and I nearly zapped an innocent bystander in the process… If Gordon hadn't blocked it in time, I would have…"

"Ouch!" Tech winced. "How is he?"

"He was pretty P.O.'d with me, and I deserved it. I never thought he'd yell at me like that… Why couldn't I have been cursed with some _different_ powers, at least?"

"Is _that_ what you think they are, Paula – a _curse?_"

"Oh, I don't know… they're useful for putting out fires and the like, but I don't need to be hurting the general population with them!"

"Listen, when we were just beginning, we weren't exactly sure what we were supposed to be doing with _our_ powers, either, but we learned in time," Tech replied. "It's like I was telling Rev when we were starting out. It doesn't really matter _what_ powers we have. It's what we choose to _do_ with them that define who we are."

"I didn't do so well in the early days, did I?" Paula giggled ruefully, remembering her first incarnation as Weather Vane.

"Well, no," Tech chuckled. "But you matured, Paula, and learned how to use those powers for the _good_ of Acmetropolis. You and the others have _all_ done that, and become true heroes. You've done us all proud."

Paula hung her head. "So, what _happened_, Tech? What went _wrong?_"

"Suppose you tell me," the coyote suggested.

Paula scrunched up her face, and finally sighed. Perhaps it _would_ help to tell someone else…

---

_Yesterday…_

"Reilly calling the HOP Force, urgent! Repeat…"

"We're here, Chief," Paula said. "What's going on?"

"We've got a hostage situation at the Acmeplex Cinema, and we need all the help we can get!"

"We're on it, Chief!" Paula declared. "HOP Force out!" She turned with a determined glance at her teammates. "Well, I hadn't intended to try out our new toys so soon, but on the other hand… why not? Let's go!" The group dashed out of the main room, coincidentally leaving Drake the last to go. He hadn't even made it past the video console when the message came.

"Important communiqué for the HOP Force from Optimatus. Repeat…"

Drake pressed the reply button. "Hi, boss chick's brother, you caught us at a bad time, what's the news?"

"Drake, tell the others General Qurrg's trial has been rescheduled for 11:00 today, your time!"

"You couldn't _keep _us away! We'll be traveling by portal, I take it?"

"Of course," the Frelengian nodded. "Pass the message on to the…" At that point, Duke rushed back in and shut the console off!

"Hey! What's the--?"

"Flirt on your _own_ time, squirt, we got crime to fight, remember?" With that, he literally dragged Drake to where the others were each waiting impatiently by their brand-new Zoomatrixes. "Here's our wayward Casanova," Duke grumbled.

"I don't even _want_ to know," Velvet sighed.

"I _should_ make you _walk_, Drake, but I'm not that kind of a leader… yet. Let's ride!" The triangular door at the top of the orb opened up to let out six custom made Zoomatrixes, including a new copper-colored one for Duke. Paula flipped a switch on her dashboard. "HOP Force calling Chief Reilly, come in, Chief! What's the situation?"

"Hey, guys, this clown's got a laser rifle and a couple of hostages, looks like a mother and daughter."

"How low can you _get?_" Mallory grumbled.

"My thoughts exactly, Mastermind," Reilly replied. "I'm patching the security video to you now."

The HOP Force took a quick glance, and Paula did a double take. "Is that… hey, it _is! _It's _Andrea!_"

"It's _who?_" Velvet asked.

"Andrea!" Drake replied. "Cute little red haired girl we saved once before from the Selzerians!"

"Looks like we're gonna have to save her from _another_ monster this time," Massive growled. "Duke, you and Drake provide air support. The rest, get 'im at ground level!"

"Good idea, Gordon!" Paula smiled. "Wish I'd thought of it! Split up on 3. 1… 2… _3!_" The group separated as planned, with all but the Sypher brothers landing their flying jet cycles in front of the Acmeplex. "I'll be right back, guys… I'm just not dressed for this…" Paula concentrated and quickly turned into Weather Vane. "That's better. Okay, what's the plan?" Her question was answered by a laser blast that shattered the front doors of the theater, accompanied by a high-pitched scream Paula knew too well. "If he harms _one_ red hair on _either_ of their heads, I swear, I will _not_ be held responsible for what happens next!!"

"All right, that's just a _warning_," the villain yelled angrily. "The _next_ one's going right through their craniums, I _mean_ it! Now back off, everyone!"

"He's just _asking_ for it, isn't he?" Velvet hissed.

"I sure _hope_ so," Mallory replied.

"Lady, if you don't get that brat of yours to shut up, I'll do it _for_ you," the villain threatened, waving his laser blaster at Andrea.

"Like _fun_ you will…" Paula muttered through clenched teeth, and fired a high-voltage lightning bolt directly at the villain's feet. Unfortunately, fate intervened in the form of a teenage hover boarder who had no idea what he was zooming into. Instinctively, Massive ran and tackled the kid to the ground, taking the full force of the lightning himself. Paula quickly withdrew and gasped, horrified. "Massive, say something!"

He _did._ She just wished he _wouldn't_.

Mallory brought them all back to the moment. "He's getting away!"

"No, he's _not_," Velvet muttered, activating her hover board and zooming away from the others. Maneuvering her way around the block, she waited for her chance to attack. Her GPS showed the crook was about to round the corner with his two hostages. Velvet decided to gamble, and zoomed right in his direction, taking out several parts of his bridgework with her board as she knocked him to the ground. As the hostages escaped, Velvet spoke into her wrist communicator. "Looks like it's roundup time on the old prairie, boys!" she snickered.

"You're not kidding, gorgeous!" Drake replied, turning to his brother. "Ready?"

"Yep," Duke noted laconically. As each Sypher zoomed into view, they produced lariats from their Zoomatrixes and lassoed the crook's legs – one to a Sypher – and proceeded to suspend him in midair. "Hey, squirt, ya wanna make a wish?" he asked, and the pair proceeded to back away from each other by exactly one inch.

The crook saw this and passed out.

"Man, I _knew_ watching those old westerns would pay off _someday!_" Drake snickered.

"Yeah, although I don't really think Gene Autry would have approved," Duke agreed, firing a Gluco-Gel™ gun at the villain, and then, carefully, they lowered him down to a waiting police van.

"Who cares? It's results that count!" Velvet told them. "Okay, guys, we got him!" Massive and Mallory joined them within seconds. "Hey, where's Paula?"

"Um, we're not _quite_ on speaking terms right now," Massive said softly. "She took off already."

"I won't even _ask_," Drake sighed, as the two hostages came up to meet the Force. "Hey, Andrea, long time no see!"

"Hi, Drake," the cute little red haired girl replied, hugging him. "Where's Paula?"

"Um, she had a previous engagement," Velvet shrugged. "You okay, Andrea?"

"Yeah, we'll live," she replied…

---

"So you _did_ catch him, finally."

"Yes," she sighed, "but not without taking a _big_ hit PR wise…"

"Now that's _Duck_ talking," Tech smiled.

"Oh, sorry…"

"Don't apologize. It's better listening to you than it is to _him_."

Paula laughed out loud at that. The release felt good. Finally, though, she turned serious again. "True, but that still doesn't change what happened. Tech, what if I'd killed that kid? Worse, what if I'd killed _Andrea?_"

"But you _didn't_…"

"Only because Gordon took the hit in time… he's pretty _fast_ for a big guy when he has to be…"

"Count yourself lucky."

"Yes, but what if he _hadn't_ been there? What if it happens _again?_ After all we went through to _get_ here… one more mistake like _that_ and I couldn't live with it…" Paula sighed. "I almost wish there were _still_ some Curium-247 around…"

"Now don't _say_ that, Paula. You do much more good for Acmetropolis _with_ your powers than without them, and besides, Qurrg used it all up, and I destroyed it, remember?"

"Technicalities," Paula muttered.

"I never said this job would be _easy_, did I?"

"No, you didn't."

"Then, stop dwelling on what hasn't happened. Forget about the big disasters that never were, okay?"

"I… I'll try. It won't be easy, but I'll try."

"Good girl…"

---

"Hey, has anybody seen Paula?" Duke asked. "I didn't get an answer from her room, and her hover board's missing."

"Relax, flyboy," Mallory smirked. "She probably stepped out for some early afternoon sky surfing…"

"I'm right here," Paula said, getting their attention. She had a small travel bag looped around her left shoulder, and her collapsed hover board clutched in her right hand. "I haven't left yet."

"You look like you're ready for some traveling," Drake noted.

"You got it," Paula sighed. "I've been doing a lot of soul searching and, well…"

"We understand, 'little sister'," Velvet said. "You need to take a few days off…"

"No, Vel, it's more than just a few days off. After… what nearly happened… I think it's best for the team… for everyone… if I resigned."

"WHAT?!?"

"No, I've thought about it… I can't _do_ this job anymore," Paula said, her voice cracking. "You need somebody with a lot more maturity to lead you, and _I'm_ not her." She walked purposefully over to Velvet. "Vel, I'm turning the team over to you. You can handle it… I _can't_… not anymore… One more screw-up like the other day and I'll have a nervous breakdown, I just _know_ it, so… I'd better leave while I still have a shred of sanity left." She activated her hover board and, without another word, took off for who knew where.

While the Force watched her go, Massive entered the room, a dozen red roses in his hand. "Hey, guys, anybody see Paula?"

"You just missed her," Vel replied softly. "She quit."

"What?" Massive looked down at the floor, the roses pointing in the same direction. "It's _my_ fault, isn't it?"

"Hey, Gordon, don't worry," Mallory said. "Give her some cooling off time. She'll come back."

"Yeah, but… but what if she _doesn't?_"

---

After a half-hour or so, with no sign of Paula anywhere, the gang gathered in the rec room, but they really weren't interested in _any_ sort of recreation. The same thought was going through each and every one of their minds. Maybe she really _was_ serious about leaving. While they could understand it, they still couldn't get _used_ to it. Weather Vane was the glue that held the HOP Force together. _She_ was the one who'd rallied the original four; the very _heart_ of the squad. Drake's original assessment may have been correct after all. _Paula_ was the guiding spirit that made them all a _team._ Without her… they were just a group. With no idea _where_ she'd gone – or if she'd _ever_ come back – it _already_ felt as if she'd died and left them to fend for themselves.

"Look, we all miss her," Mastermind noted finally, "but sitting around on our butts and moping about it isn't going to bring her back. We're still a team, with _or_ without her, and we still have a job to do."

"Mall's right, guys," Velvet agreed. "We'll get depressed later. Right now, I think we should just go about our job, business as usual."

"Okay, guys, is there anything else we haven't caught up on lately?" Mallory asked. Drake sunk low in the couch. "All right, copyboy, what didn't you do _now?_"

"I just remembered," he muttered. "You know that trial of General Qurrg's?"

"Oh yeah, the one scheduled for next month," Duke said. "What _about_ it, squirt?"

"We got a message about it a couple of days ago from Optimatus. It's been rescheduled."

"For _when?_" Massive growled.

"Um… a couple of days ago…"

"WHAT?!?" Mallory yelled. "Drake, _how_ could you forget to tell us a thing like _that?_"

The remaining members of the HOP Force were about to browbeat him further when the video screen activated, showing a bunch of orange concentric circles, and a familiar voice came through the speakers. A voice that sounded desperate.

"This is an emergency communiqué for the HOP Force from Zadavia… repeat, an emergency communiqué for the HOP Force from Zadavia… _please_ answer…"

Velvet hit the response button. "HOP Force here, Zadavia, what's wrong?"

Zadavia's face appeared on screen. "Thank the stars!" she said, looking as if she might break down and cry any second. "Then you didn't go to Qurrg's trial after all!"

"No, _somebody_ forgot to tell us it had been rescheduled!" Mallory replied, casting a caustic glare at Drake. "Because of that…"

"Because of that, you're all still _alive_," Zadavia said. "The Selzerians affected Qurrg's escape and… well, see for yourselves. This was taken by one of my satellites just as the trial was underway. It was a miracle Optimatus and I avoided it as well." The Force watched, stunned, as the planet where Qurrg's trial was held exploded.

Duke was temporarily struck speechless, but finally found his voice as he slowly approached his kid brother. "Why didn't you _tell_ me that was the big O?"

"Because you wouldn't _let_ me?" Drake replied, but there was no bitterness or anger in his reply, mainly because he was still shocked at the fact that he had actually saved the lives of his teammates, albeit unintentionally. "Now I know how _Paula_ feels," he added.

Zadavia composed herself briefly. "That reminds me… where _is_ Paula? Nothing's happened to her, has it?"

Massive took a deep breath. "She resigned, Zadavia. It was either that or go stark raving crazy, and frankly, I don't blame her a bit…"

---

Chapter Two: "Homecoming…"

---

Paula flew through the Acmetropolis afternoon skies until she went past the city limits, continuing until she spied an isolated farmhouse. A smile came to her for the first time in days. She knew this place.

Gracefully, she landed just outside the front porch, dismounted and deactivated her hover board. Taking a deep breath, she walked up the steps and nervously knocked on the front door. It had been over two years since she'd been here, after all, and she really didn't know how the occupants would react to seeing her. After all, if her _immediate_ family didn't want anything to do with her… The door opened slowly, and a single eye viewed her with trepidation. "Can we help you, young lady?" The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman, and its owner didn't sound too glad to see Paula.

Paula gulped, and barely got the words out. Who said superheroes never got stage fright? "Aunt May? It's me… Paula…"

Before she knew what was happening, the door _flew _open and she found herself in the embrace of her aunt and uncle. "PAULA!" Aunt May yelled, "What's been _keeping_ you? Hey, Pauline, look who's here!" An auburn haired girl of about 12 with clear blue eyes ran in from the kitchen and nearly knocked everybody over in a rush to get at her cousin.

"_Easy_ there, folks, I'm going to be here a while, I hope," Paula laughed.

"What happened, couz, they vote you out of the superheroes league?" Pauline snickered.

"Um, _no_, I'm just taking an extended vacation of sorts, and let's not talk about that now, okay?" Paula said. "I'm really beat from traveling as it is…"

"Well, you can park your stuff in your room, if you like," her uncle said. "Welcome home, Paula."

_That_ was what she was waiting to hear. "It's good to _be_ home, Uncle Ben…"

---

Ben Hayes accompanied his niece to 'her room'. "I hope you haven't made too many changes," Paula smiled.

"No more than usual," he replied. "Dinner's at six…"

"Nope, no changes there," she giggled, as she opened the door. A simple bedroom greeted her field of vision. It was nothing fancy, just a bed with more blankets and pillows than anybody needed, and an antique dresser off to one side of the room. Next to the head of the bed was a small table on which was a small vase with a single flower. "Thanks, Uncle Ben," Paula said, giving him a small peck on the cheek and waving him off. "See you later." She closed the door, set her bag on the floor and stretched out for a quick nap.

Paula had only closed her eyes for a few minutes when she was awakened by the sound of an argument out front, and one of the participants _definitely_ sounded like Uncle Ben. She might have been beat, but she wasn't _that_ beat. Something was wrong. Ben Hayes was the most even-tempered person she ever knew. Nothing _ever_ made him upset… well, _almost_ nothing, apparently. She strode purposefully to the front door and was about to open it, when it opened for her. In the wrong direction.

She quickly got out of the way as the door came crashing inward, with a well-dressed man she'd never seen before sprawled on top of it, now sporting one gorgeous black eye. Before Paula could do anything other than shriek, a burly arm reached for the stranger, picked him up from where he lay and bodily threw him several feet to land unceremoniously on the front lawn. The next voice she heard was that of Uncle Ben; and from the sound of it, she could tell that the two men were _not_ about to strike up a firm friendship.

"Listen here, Sander, you've got exactly ten seconds to get off my farm, and then I'm going to get _mad!_" Ben yelled.

Sander picked himself up, dusted himself off, and headed towards his hover craft. "If that's the way you _want _it, Hayes," he growled. "I'll be back!"

"I'll be waiting," Ben replied. "_Count_ on it!" He watched with a sense of satisfaction as Sander got in his craft and flew away. "That no good son of a…"

"Ben!" Aunt May said as she stepped over the door and joined her husband on the front porch. "What happened?"

"Who do you _think_ happened, May?" he grumbled, rubbing his hand to ease the pain of smacking his unwanted visitor.

"Now, dear, you shouldn't go upsetting Mr. San…"

"I thought I told you _never_ to mention his name in this house!" he uncharacteristically snapped at her, and then stormed out to the barn. May looked after him with a hurt expression. That was all Paula could stand to see.

'And I thought _I_ had problems,' she thought as she went out to her aunt and quietly embraced her, while keeping her eyes on the barn…

---

Paula went out to the barn a bit later to try and talk some sense into her uncle. She found him inside, gathering his tools. "Uncle Ben?"

He stopped and looked in her direction, but he wasn't smiling. It was hard for her to gauge just what his mood was, if he would blow up at her, or what. "Hi," he said, and went back to his work.

"Well, that's a _start_," she smiled uneasily. "Look, if you don't want to talk about it, that's _fine_, I understand, but the _least_ you can do is apologize to Aunt May."

"I… I will, Paula. This is something I need to work out in my own way."

"What? 'How to win friends and influence people by using them as lawn bowling equipment?' I'm sorry, Uncle, but I'm not buying it."

"Nobody _asked_ you to, Paula."

"All right, that's enough!" she finally exploded. "Look, you want to be _mad_ at me for the rest of _whatever_, you go right _ahead!_ I'm _used_ to it by now, okay? My own _family_ hates me, so it wouldn't be the _first_ time. Besides, I've met plenty of villains back in Acmetropolis who could redefine 'tantrum' in the worst way. I don't _need_ a refresher course from _you!_"

"That's easy for _you_ to say," Ben snapped back. "At least _YOU_ don't have those fancy dress morons with their high-priced lawyers trying to grab up everything you've _worked_ for just so they can get their hands on your _water rights!_" Ben fell into a cold silence, and then returned to gathering up his tools. "Now if you don't mind, I've got a front door to fix." He then walked out of the barn, leaving Paula alone, framed in the doorway.

She watched him walk away without saying a word. Then she put her head in her hands and cried softly, collapsing to her knees. First Massive, and now Uncle Ben. Two of the most important men in her life, and she'd managed to alienate them _both_. She kept this up for several minutes, while wondering what the heck was _wrong_ with her. Maybe it _was_ for the best that she left the HOP Force.

Just maybe, she felt, she should leave _here_, as well.

It was while she was thinking this that she felt two arms wrap themselves around her. She stopped her sobbing long enough to open her eyes, and looked straight into the face of her cousin. "P-Pauline?"

"I didn't want you to be miserable alone," she sniffed, and it was then that Paula noticed that the girl's clear blue eyes were red from crying as well.

"Pauline, what's _happening_ around here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your father said something about someone trying to take this farm away…"

"Oh yeah, you mean 'He Who Shouldn't Be Mentioned or Daddy Throws a Conniption Fit'," the auburn-haired girl smiled, wiping away the last vestiges of Paula's tears. "His name's Sander Bloch. I think he's this rich developer from out of town who wants to start a planned community or something, but he can't do it as long as _we're_ here, and, well, we're not planning to leave." She then rested her head on Paula's shoulder and, try as she might to resist, resumed crying.

Paula stroked her cousin's hair and gently said, "In that case, neither am _I_…"

---

A few minutes later, Ben returned to the barn, and as he entered, he noticed Paula and Pauline. "Oh… um… hi, girls…" he said, and walked on.

"Forget something, Uncle Ben?" Paula asked.

"Yeah. Had the wrong size hinges…"

"That's not _quite_ what she meant," Pauline said calmly. It was enough to stop him in his tracks. Slowly he turned around, approached the two and quietly cleared his throat.

"Um, yeah… listen, girls, I'm sorry. Paula, I shouldn't have taken all that out on you…"

"That's okay, uncle. It's not like I have a thick skin or anything like that," she replied. "Anyway, I really don't think _we're_ the ones you need to be _apologizing_ to right now."

Ben looked down at the ground and sighed. "Yeah, you're right there."

"Okay, you go do that," Paula said. "And when you come back, maybe you can tell me what the deal is with this Sander Bloch character…" Ben stopped in his tracks, then whirled around suddenly, his face a very interesting shade of beet red. "And _before_ you say another word, until I get the order from you to do otherwise, I can say _any name_ I _want_ to," Paula challenged him. "Sander Bloch. _There's_ a bad pun if I ever heard one. Get a bunch of them together and a large hunk of plywood and make yourself a cheap coffee table," she added with a smirk, causing Pauline to attempt to stifle a giggle… and rather unsuccessfully at that.

Even Ben managed a small grin. "_Okay_, I get the point, girls, maybe I _have_ been over-reacting, but can you blame me?"

"No, I guess not," Paula sighed. "What is the _deal_ with you and him, anyway?"

"Paula, I already _told_ you, he…" A quick glance from Paula and Ben let the auburn-haired girl know immediately that she had a long way to go before she would even be considered for industrial espionage. A _long_ way. "I'll be quiet now," she whispered, blushing.

"It's all right, pumpkin, I gotta tell _somebody_. About a couple of weeks ago, this Bloch fella shows up with a herd of pin-striped attorneys and says he's interested in building some sort of planned community out here and this would make an excellent location and would I be willing to sell and for how much?"

"What did you tell him?"

"Well, let's just say I narrowed the price down to two fingers… one on each hand…"

"I _see_…" Paula chuckled. "Then what happened?"

"Then one of his lawyers starts pushing me around and saying _nobody_ talks like that to Mr. Bloch."

"_Oh-oh_… what did you do then?"

"I told him I guess that made _me_ a nobody and pushed him right back. Knocked him out cold."

"I'm afraid to ask what happened after _that_…"

"Well, his other lawyer started to go after me and Bloch pulled him back – which I guess makes that the _only_ thing I oughta _thank_ him for. He said every man had his price, and he'd be back. Told him he could save himself the extra trip because he couldn't _afford_ mine."

"I guess he won't take no for an answer, huh?"

"_There's_ the understatement of the month. Every darn day he keeps comin' back with bigger offers and uglier lawyers. You saw what happened _today_, Paula."

"Boy, _did_ I…"

"I… I don't mind if he comes back and beats me black and blue, I can handle that, Paula. I… I'm just afraid they'll go after my _girls_ next…"

"Not while _I'm_ here, they won't," she replied softly, placing an arm around his shoulders. "You told me earlier he was after your water rights…"

"It wouldn't surprise me a bit if he's almost _got_ 'em…"

A purposeful smirk crossed Paula's face. "Well, he hasn't got _mine_…"

"You gonna do that crazy weather thing?" Pauline asked.

Paula unhooked her hover board from her cutoffs and smiled. "You better believe it! Stand back…" She tossed the hover board in the air, caught it with one hand and pressed the red button at the same time, releasing it quickly as the board expanded to its full size. As it hovered just above ground level, Paula hopped on and quickly changed into Weather Vane. "So… you got any crops that need watering?"

"Yeah, the north forty," Ben replied.

"Consider it done," Weather Vane smiled.

"Wait!" Pauline said, handing her cousin an earpiece communicator. "We'll need to be able to tell you when to stop!"

"Hey, good idea, Pauline. Thanks! See you when I get back!" She sang to herself as she soared over the fields, "Keep Acmetropolis, just gimme that countryside…"

"Couz?"

"Yeah, Pauline?"

"Quit serenading us and get to work…"

"Awfully _pushy_ for a 12-year-old, aren't you?"

"I'm a kid. It's my job."

---

Zadavia sat alone in her chambers, worry etched across her pretty features. The door opened, and her brother walked in. "Trouble, Zadavia?" Optimatus asked quietly.

"We've had reports that General Qurrg and the Selzerians are on their way to Acmetropolis. For all we know, they may already be there now…"

"It's the prophecy, isn't it?"

"Yes," she sighed. "But there's more trouble. Paula has resigned from the team…"

"What? But…"

"I know, brother. The others can fight them off all they want to, and they may even defeat the underlings, but only Weather Vane can defeat Qurrg…"

"And we _both_ know what she'll have to do to accomplish that," Optimatus muttered. "But if she isn't there…"

"Then it's hopeless," Zadavia sighed. "Optimatus, she's needed more than ever now… even if it _is_ for the last time…"

"Have faith, sister," he replied. "She'll be there. It's already been preordained… but Zadavia, remember what I said earlier. Prophecies have been wrong before. Maybe she'll live."

"I pray this is true, brother…" she said, with a faraway look in her eyes.

Optimatus recognized that look. As much as Zadavia's first allegiance would always be to Freleng, there was no denying the fact that a part of her would _also _feel loyalty to the planet that had sheltered her, and that ironically, _she_ had saved from Optimatus. What was even more ironic was the fact that, at long last, her brother finally _understood_ that divided loyalty. "Go to them, Zadavia. They need you there more than you're needed here. I'll have the dragon cruiser prepared for you…"

"Thank you, brother, but no. I fear the cruiser won't be enough… not against Qurrg. I'll need something _beyond_ that."

Optimatus didn't even have to ask what she meant. He knew…

---

"Okay, that's good, Paula," Pauline said, monitoring her cousin's progress. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, it just hit me… has anybody else besides you guys ever _heard_ of this Sander Bloch?"

"What are you thinking, dear?" May asked.

"I don't know. Somebody who's supposedly _that_ big of a deal in his own little world, you'd _think_ he'd be _better known_, wouldn't you?" she asked, applying a little of the deductive reasoning she'd learned from years of reading Sherlock Holmes stories. "I mean, there are second rate _criminals_ who get more press than this Bloch guy… and I've never even _heard_ of him till today."

"How'd you like to meet him?" Pauline gulped.

"Not really."

"You're not gonna have much choice, couz, because that's him coming up the driveway now."

"And it looks like he's got a whole _pack_ of his goons with him," Weather Vane frowned. "Sit tight, folks, I'm coming in!" She zoomed her hover board quickly to the front lawn and intercepted Sander and company just as they were about to climb up the front steps (uninvited, of course). "Well, look what finally crawled out from under the rock," Weather Vane sneered. No wonder Uncle Ben didn't like Sander. She didn't either, and she'd only just met him.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Sander sneered back.

"Just thought I'd see how things are in the country," she drawled.

"Quit meddling, Weather Pain, this isn't your fight!"

"The name is 'Weather _Vane_', and I'm _making_ it my fight! Now clear out before I remember that I have a temper and know how to _use_ it!!"

Sander turned to his lackeys. "Take her out!"

"All _five_ of you? How unlucky can a girl _get?_" Weather Vane smirked. Her grin quickly disappeared when they produced laser rifles. "Gee, most guys bring me flowers and chocolates…"

"Yeah?" one of the henchmen replied. "Well, eat _this_…"

"No you _don't_" she said through gritted teeth, unleashing a flurry of lightning bolts that knocked the weapons out of their hands one by one. A stray bolt hit one of the lackeys, and everyone's eyes went wide as his appearance changed into a giant lizard-like being with fierce orange eyes!

"What in the pink tarnation?" Ben asked as Bloch and his goons suddenly turned tail and disappeared!

Weather Vane frowned, blew on her index finger, and changed back to Paula, but still wore that frown. "Whoa, way cool, cousin!"

"Thanks, Pauline, but right now, you've got more trouble than you _know_," she muttered.

"What _were_ those things, Paula?" May asked.

"The _last_ things in the universe _I_ ever expected to see again," she grimaced, reaching into her left blouse pocket and pulling out a small round device with a lavender triangle in the center. It was one of Mallory and Velvet's unsung creations, a pocket communicator that had two-way radio, hi-def color video broadcasting capability, and a homing beacon, and yet was only as large as a five dollar coin. Every member of the HOP Force had one. She pressed the triangle and spoke. "Paula calling HOP Force, repeat, Paula calling HOP Force, come in…"

In the HOP Force HQ, the quintet looked at each other as the image of their former leader filled the video screen. "Paula!" Velvet exclaimed. "How are you?"

"Never mind that, _where_ are you?" Massive asked.

"To answer your questions, I'm fine, I'm at my aunt and uncle's farm, and we've got trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Mallory asked.

"Get over here as fast as you can, guys. I'm switching the homing beacon on now." Paula flipped a blue toggle switch on the left hand side of the device in the up position.

"But surfer chick, what's the problemo?"

"The problemo, Drake, is… _the Selzerians are back!_"

Drake took a deep breath. "We _know_, cuteness. They _already_ helped Qurrg escape from his trial."

"_What?_"

Massive spoke to her. "Don't worry, babe, we're on our way!"

---

"You're not having much of a resignation, _are_ you, girlie?" Mallory asked with a smile after the HOP Force arrived in their Zoomatrixes.

"Hey, you know _me_, Mallory. Where Paula goes, trouble follows," she smiled. "Guys, this is my Uncle Ben, my Aunt May, and my cousin Pauline. Folks, this is the HOP Force. Acmetropolis's last line of defense against almost all things weird."

"Um, _almost?_" Pauline asked.

"Yeah. We're still trying to figure out how _Drake_ slipped past and got in," Velvet said with a straight face.

"Oh, be _nice_, will you?" Drake pleaded.

"I see what you mean," Pauline giggled.

"The boy could use a haircut," Ben muttered. "I'll get the axe."

"Yeah, that's a… _WAIT A MINUTE! _What _is_ this, 'Pick On Drake Sypher Day'?"

"Why should _today_ be any different, squirt?" Duke chuckled.

"_Now_ you see why I resigned, don't you?" Paula grinned, just before she stopped and took count. "Hmm… _somebody's_ missing. Anybody see Gordon?"

"Is _that_ him?" Pauline asked, pointing to her left. "The big guy standing next to the barn?"

"Yeah… that's him… excuse me a minute, folks," she said. "I've got a little patching up of my _own_ to take care of…" And without another word, she walked silently to the barn, where Massive was busy doing nothing. "Um… hi."

Tentatively, Massive approached the girl. "Um, hi, Paula."

"Hi," she replied unemotionally. "So, are you still mad at me?"

"No, I guess not," he replied. "Now that I've had enough time to… what was it Ace called it… distance myself from the moment?"

"Yeah, that was it…"

"Hey, it was an accident, okay? It could have happened to _anybody_…"

"Only if those anybodies can control the _weather_, Gordon. I was _right_, this power _is_ a curse. _Why_ did those Selzerians have to show up _here?_" Paula muttered bitterly. "There _can't_ be anything here that they want…"

"Doesn't look like it, does it?"

"Yeah… why don't they just leave us alone?"

"They're not _like_ that," Gordon reminded her. "Especially Qurrg…"

"I know," Paula sighed. "And if that's really the last batch of Selzerians, then Qurrg's going to be right there with them; but _why?_" She bowed her head, and then froze unexpectedly. "Oh… my…"

"Babe, what is it?"

"That's _it!_ Qurrg and his bunch aren't _interested_ in this place at all!"

"Well then, what…"

Paula stared at him with a horrified look on her face. "Not 'what', Gordon… it's _'who'_. They're… they're after _us!_ They're using the farm as a trap and I led you guys right _into_ it!"

"Hey, Gord?" came a question over his wrist communicator.

"Yeah, Drake, what is it?"

"Ask Weatherbabe whose cool hover car this is, would you?"

"Oh yeah, _that_. This fella Bloch left it behind before he and the other Selzerians took off…" Suddenly her features froze. "Wait a second… _other Selzerians… oh no!_"

"Drake! Get away from that car!" Gordon yelled, shooting out a gravity beam and raising the car high above the farm… before it exploded!

"Holy caramba!" Velvet exclaimed, latching on to Drake for no good reason and pulling him close to her, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Drake gasped. "Thanks, Gord, I owe you _big time_ for _that_ one!"

---

Chapter Three: "Flack In Black…"

---

Somewhere in the blackness of space above Acmetropolis lurked the most hideous-looking vessel ever seen by anyone. It was so hideous, in fact, that grown military men, with years of experience who thought they'd seen everything, had been reported to try tearing their own eyes out rather than face it again. It was _that_ horrendous.

"It" was a Selzerian death bomber… and at the moment, six Selzerians had reappeared in the cockpit, having already shed their earthly disguises, and were reporting to their commander… General Qurrg.

"I assume the destruction of Weather Vane went well, Colonel Karng?" Qurrg asked.

"No, sir," Karng replied.

"I see… What went wrong? No, _wait_… let me _guess_… she somehow managed to, what is the phrase, blow your cover?" he asked calmly.

"Yes, sir."

"I expected as much," Qurrg sighed. "I see that the rest of the HOP Force has also arrived. I expected that, too. Colonel Karng, need I _remind_ you that the _murder_ of this Weather Vane human is our _number one_ priority?"

"No, sir."

"Need I _also_ remind you of my impatience with failed ideas?"

"No, sir."

"You don't talk very much, do you, Karng? Don't answer that…" Qurrg replied, a small smile playing on his lips. "Well, no matter. The Bloch gambit is out of the question now, so we'll just have to try something else. What's our war craft status, Colonel Karng?"

"This death bomber, exactly one hundred starfighters, and one scout ship, sir!" the Selzerian replied without hesitation.

"Then they will have to do," Qurrg replied. "Colonel Karng, you will transfer to the scout ship and take command immediately. On my orders… fire at will. Destroy the farmhouse and everything around it, but leave the humans alive."

"Yes, sir!" Karng replied, saluting. But something else was puzzling him. "Begging the general's pardon…"

"Yes, Karng?"

"_Why_ is the death of this one human so _important?_"

"_Why_, my dear fellow?" Qurrg asked calmly. "Are you familiar with the ancient Frelengian prophecy concerning the end of our race?"

"Yes, I believe I _have_ heard it a number of times," Karng replied. "I must admit I've never understood it, actually…"

"Ah. I see. _This_ is why you'll never rise above the rank you now hold, _Colonel_," Qurrg said almost soothingly. "If you _did_ understand it, then you would _realize_ that _Weather Vane herself_ is the instrument of our _alleged_ final destruction… and the _irony_ of it all is that _she_ doesn't even _know_ it! _Now_ do you see why it is important that she dies _first?_"

"I see, sir."

"Good. Now, off with you… and must I repeat, _leave the humans alive_."

"As you command," Karng replied, and transported to the scout ship. He didn't even bother questioning his leader's peculiar order. He knew why Qurrg had given it.

The general needed to work up an appetite…

---

"I can't believe I almost bought it over a _hover car_," Drake said, shaking his head.

"There, you see what you get for wanting what you can't have?" Duke kidded him. "The Zoomatrix wasn't enough for you…"

"You don't have to rub it in, Don," Drake sighed.

"Relax, Drake. I'll _buy_ you a hover car when it's over, how's that?" Velvet smiled.

"Oh, you don't have to do… _really?_"

"Sure," Vel shrugged. "It's a drop in the bucket to me, anyway, no problem."

"Um, speaking of _problems_, guys," Mallory said with a worried voice, casting her eyes skyward, "we've got _more_…"

"What… in the universe… is THAT?!?" Ben yelled, pointing up. The Force took one look, and their faces froze in horror.

"It's a Selzerian scout ship!" Paula replied frantically. "RUN!"

Velvet, however, stood her ground, pointing her palms upward and blasting at the ship for all she was worth, although it didn't take long for her to see that her sonic blasts were having no effect whatsoever. It was then she decided that maybe Paula had the better idea after all, and she ran towards the barn, only to have her path blocked by several close bursts from the scout ship. Karng decided to toy with her and surround Velvet with a barrage of blasts that wound down in ever-decreasing circles, and all Velvet could do was stand there trembling and await the inevitable… or a miracle.

Karng was enjoying this. Sadistically, he trained his sights right at Velvet's heart and prepared to blast her into nothingness, disobeying Qurrg's direct order. That little pause was just the reprieve she needed. Out of nowhere, Drake tackled Velvet out of Karng's path. "OOF!" she exhaled, landing flat on her back. Looking up, she saw Karng's ship preparing to resume its deadly attack – only now he had _two_ targets to aim at. Karng placed a scaly finger back on the firing button, and was within a millisecond of finishing the two heroes off when – wonder of wonders – Velvet's miracle came through.

From out of nowhere, a jet black war cruiser appeared and fired on the scout ship for all it was worth. Karng tried everything he learned from several hundred years of battle-hardened experience, but no matter what he did, the cruiser was relentless, pounding the alien's ship with every weapon available to it. Drake and Velvet retreated to the relative safety of the barn with the others, and watched with fascination.

"Do you know who that is?" Vel asked breathlessly.

"Don't have a clue," Drake shrugged.

"Well, whoever it is, they sure know their stuff," Duke nodded.

In the war cruiser, the pilot glared hard at the Selzerian ship, looked down at the scope, and without a word, fired a pure black negative energy beam that literally rattled the enemy ship apart, and then fired a photon energy beam that blew it into dust, leaving no trace of anything _or_ anybody.

"YES!" Paula screamed.

"Um, maybe you _might_ want to rethink that 'yes', cousin," Pauline said nervously.

"Why's that?"

Gulping, she replied, "It's coming this way…"

All eyes stared as the cruiser descended slowly until its nose was level with the barn door, maintaining a parking orbit just several feet off the ground. A beam of iridescent light shot out from the ship to a spot just inside the barn, and everyone stood back as a pilot dressed in a black flight suit and helmet materialized in the midst of them.

The pilot stood silent for a few seconds, and then removed her helmet.

Paula gasped first. _"ZADAVIA!"_

"I see we arrived in the nick of time," the Frelengian said.

"Um, 'we', boss chick?" Drake asked.

"Well certainly, Drake. _Somebody_ had to do the navigating, after all," Zadavia replied with a confident smile. "You may come out now," she added, speaking into her wrist communicator. Another beam shot out from the plane, and Tech appeared. Zadavia pressed a button on a remote device she pulled from her flight suit, and the war cruiser _literally_ condensed itself up into a ball and rolled to her feet!

"Wow! That's _neat!_" Pauline exclaimed, coming forward to examine the ball, eyes wide open.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Zadavia smiled, kneeling down beside her. "Let me guess… you must be Paula's cousin Pauline, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," the girl replied.

"Please, dear, call me Zadavia," the Frelengian said as both ladies stood back up. "And of course, you must be her Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Paula's told me so much about you, I feel as though I know you already."

"So, Zadavia, what are you _doing_ here?" Velvet asked.

"Call this my unofficial visit," she replied with a smile…

---

"I knew there was _something_ Daddy didn't like about that Sander character, I just didn't think it would be _that!_" Pauline said as she gave Drake a guided tour around the farm.

"I'm not surprised. Those Selzerians are _tricky_ devils, Pauline," he replied with a sigh. "Their General Qurrg disguised himself as our original supervisor and we never caught on 'till Duke told us. Good thing he _did_, too, otherwise none of us would _be_ here."

"Wow…"

"My feelings exactly," he half-smiled. "Well, the good news is, now that we know it's a crock, you don't have to worry about losing the farm to Sander."

"What's the _bad_ news?"

"Believe me, you don't _want_ to know what _that_ is…"

"Never mind, I think I got a sneak preview already… oh, watch your step."

"Why, what…?"

"You almost tripped over the marker," Pauline sighed sadly, pointing downward.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I almost didn't _see_ that," he apologized, kneeling down to have a better look at it. It was a simple granite marker that read,

In Loving Memory

Katherine Michelle Hayes

Born 2764 – Died 2770

Drake frowned and bowed his head, letting a deep sigh escape. "Your sister?"

"Yeah," Pauline replied, her lower lip imperceptibly quivering and blue eyes starting to moisten. "Encephalitis…"

"Oh, _man_, I'm really sorry to _hear_ that, Pauline," he said.

"Thanks, Mr. Sypher…"

"Hey, call me Drake, okay? You'll find we're not much on formality," he shrugged. "Um, Pauline… I hate to ask this, but… your sister isn't actually…"

"Buried here? No, Drake," she sighed. "She's got a small patch of land in the Acmetropolis Memorial Gardens. Daddy just thought it'd be nice if we had this here so we… wouldn't forget her…" Pauline finally gave in to the urge to cry at that point. Paula had approached the two at the same time, but decided to keep quiet. Drake noticed her shadow and looked questioningly at her, and Paula nodded her consent.

"Hey, c'mere," Drake said quietly, taking the girl in his embrace. "I never told anybody this, but when Duke and I were kids, our mom was the best friend we ever had…"

"Was she pretty?"

"We thought so," he said with a light chuckle. "Maybe 'cause she was. Pretty _and_ smart. Then one day, she just… died. They never found out why." He paused to let a tear or two of his own roll down his face.

"I'm sorry, Drake," Pauline sniffed.

"Yeah… thanks. You know how they say the hurt goes away after a while?"

"It never does, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," he sighed. "That's when you do one of two things. You either blot their memory out entirely, or you hold on tight to the _good_ ones and _never_ let them go. That way, you'll never forget them… Guess you can figure out which option Duke and I chose, huh?"

"Yeah," Pauline smiled, wiping away both of their tears. "Thanks, Drake," she added, giving him a small kiss and heading back towards the farmhouse.

"You're welcome," he half-whispered, getting back to his feet. "So, cuteness, what brings you out here?"

"Just checking up, making sure uncle Ben didn't have to perform a shotgun wedding on you two, you know…"

"Hey, she _is_ a bit _young_ for me, Paula!"

"I know, I'm just teasing," she smirked, playfully giving him a sock on the shoulder. "Come on, dinner's almost ready…"

"You just said the magic word," Drake said, kneeling down and polishing the marker before rejoining Paula.

"Hey, Drake?"

"What?"

"I… well… for what you told Pauline… thanks." She paused briefly. "I… I never knew that about your mom, Drake… I'm sorry…"

"Thanks, cuteness," he sighed, and then they continued their walk.

"You think I could hear more about her sometime?"

"Sure…"

"I don't want you to think I'm getting too personal or anything…"

"No, it's okay, Paula. I mean, what's the point of holding on to good memories if you can't _share_ them every once in a while, right?" Drake grinned as the pair entered the house and sat down at the dining room table. "Speaking of _good_, that dinner smells delicious!"

"Well, help yourselves," May replied with a smile. "We have to eat _sometime_."

"Drake is right," Zadavia said, "this _does_ smell delicious! Tell me… what is this yellow squared cake?"

"Oh, that's cornbread, Zadavia," Pauline replied.

"Cornbread… I see… tell me… what's _in_ that?"

---

General Qurrg was livid. "That FOOL!" he growled, referring to the now late Colonel Karng. "I should have _known_ he couldn't follow orders. Because of his disobedience, we lost our scout ship, and the whole of its crew." He spoke to one of his lieutenants. "Enter it into the log that Colonel Karng was an enemy of the planet Selzer and that his crew were mutineers who also chose to disobey my orders."

"Is that _really_ what you wish to…?"

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING A DIRECT ORDER, LIEUTENANT?" he roared.

"No, sir!"

"It certainly _sounds_ otherwise," Qurrg muttered, revealing his six rows of teeth. "Count yourself lucky that my hearing is playing _tricks_ on me, otherwise, you'd have _no tongue_ to backtalk me with, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Now leave my sight." The lieutenant saluted, turned around and shuffled away. He hadn't gone far when Qurrg pressed a button, and the lieutenant found himself bathed in a blood-red ray which slowly – and _very_ painfully – dissolved him from the inside out. Qurrg chose to ignore the screams, as did the remainder of his crew, if they knew what was good for them.

"General, what are your orders?" one of Qurrg's lackeys asked. "Shall we go after this Weather Vane human?"

Qurrg sat briefly pondering the possibilities, and then smiled. "No, I don't think so. I have a little surprise planned which will enable us to take most of them out at once, and they won't even know what hit them," he laughed, moving over to a darkened section of the spaceship. Pressing a button on the wall before him, he stood back at an almost respectful distance as he looked at his secret weapon, which would shortly be launched against the group. It looked for all the universe like a big red rock. "I give you the end of the HOP Force!" he declared, pressing another button which transported it from the ship to rematerialize quietly in the farmland below. "And the _beginning_ of the end of Acmetropolis," he added, just to make sure there was no confusion on anyone's part…

---

After dinner, Drake excused himself to sit out on the back porch. He was just about to get good and comfortable when he thought he heard a noise in the distance and went to investigate. He knew _something_ wasn't right here; he just didn't know _what_ yet. He was beginning to feel more and more like the fifth wheel on the hovercraft, to coin a phrase.

He turned a corner and then did something that even Drake Sypher couldn't ordinarily do.

He tripped and stumbled on his own two feet, and landed – after a ridiculously unacrobatic fall in which he turned his ankle – in the bottom of a small pit, on top of a large red rock. At the same instant, he felt his strength slipping away from him. No, not his strength – more like his powers; and suddenly he knew exactly what was happening to him… and what he had stumbled upon.

The others found him at that point. "I could say something," Mallory snickered, "but I'd probably better not…"

Drake turned and looked at them with panic in his eyes. "Mallory! Tell the others to stay back!" he shouted. "You can come close if you want to, but keep the others away!"

"Why, what's…" Mallory's question got no further than that, as Duke recognized exactly what had happened.

"Drake, is that what I _think_ it is?"

"Yeah," he gasped. "It's the end of my inglorious career…"

Duke turned and looked at the rest of the team. "Curium-247. I'd know that red rock anywhere!"

"So _that's_ what it looks like," Paula whispered, peering at a safe distance. "Gordon, get him out of there!"

"Right!" Massive stretched forth his arm and levitated Drake out of the pit until he was safely away from it.

"Easy there, I twisted my ankle," Drake advised him.

"Okay," Massive replied, setting him down gently on the ground.

Zadavia and Tech, seeing the commotion, rushed to join the crowd, but were stopped as Drake saw them coming. "Stay back," he yelled, pointing to the pit. "There's a big hunk of Curium-247 in that pit!"

"Are you _sure?_" Tech asked, surprised.

"He's right," Zadavia said, casting a look into the pit.

"That wasn't there this afternoon," Pauline observed.

"This has got to be _Qurrg's_ doing," Paula muttered. "Tech, we've got to get _rid_ of it somehow!"

"I know, Paula," the coyote replied. "Any prolonged exposure and you could _still_ wind up losing your powers…"

"Who's talking about _us?_" she snapped. "This is my aunt and uncle's _farm_ here! What will it do to _that?_"

Zadavia approached the girl and spoke in a calm, reassuring tone. "How about if we never find out?" she asked, reaching inside her cloak and pulling out Optimatus's portable wormhole device, slipping it over her right hand and aiming it at the big red rock. Ben and May, and particularly Pauline, stood in awe as a wormhole appeared out of thin air and sucked the Curium-247 into it, never to be seen again.

"Wow!" Pauline exclaimed, obviously impressed. "How'd you _do_ that?"

"Are you familiar with the theory of temporal displacement?" the Frelengian asked.

Pauline stared at Zadavia as if she'd spoken a foreign language. "Um… not really," she blushed.

"I'll make this easy for you," Duke smiled. "She sent it into a black hole, that's all you need to know."

"Think of it as the most effective vacuum cleaner in the universe," Velvet added.

"Okay," Pauline shrugged. "That kind of makes sense."

Mallory knelt down beside Drake until the two were face to face. "Drake… thanks for warning us…"

"Hey, you guys are my teammates, right? And you still have a job to do." Zadavia kneeled down by his feet and laid her hands on the swelling ankle. "Easy there, boss chick, it still… ouch… hurts a bit…" he winced.

"I'm sure it does," she smiled softly, releasing a rainbow-colored stream from her hands that completely engulfed his foot for a few seconds. "There, try that, Drake," she said, helping him stand up.

"I hope you're right," he said, unsure of this. Gingerly stepping down on the foot, he was amazed to find he felt no pain whatsoever. "Whoa! Nice job!"

"Another of my many talents. Thank you, Drake," Zadavia replied, planting a brief kiss on him.

"Wh-what was _that_ for?"

"For… what is the phrase… taking one for the team," the Frelengian replied. "I'm only sorry it cost you your powers to do it."

"Hey, they were pretty lame powers to begin with, no pun intended," Drake chuckled.

---

Drake sat alone out back, watching the late afternoon turn to early evening. Of course, on a planet like Acmetropolis, how could one tell? Now, without his powers, he felt even more like the fifth wheel on the hover craft. And yet, in spite of everything that had happened so far, he felt sort of… _peaceful_. Maybe it was the setting. If _he'd_ had a say in things regarding the order of the cosmos, there'd be a few _less_ factories and a _lot_ more farms. Drake could actually see himself retiring from superheroing one day and taking up this kind of life instead, which surprised him. He shook his head and returned to the present. He barely heard the back door open and shut, but he _definitely_ felt the small presence beside him. "Oh, hi, Mallory," he sighed.

"Hi yourself," she replied. Drake took a really good look at her. With her head long since reduced to its normal size, she didn't look as odd as she once did. With her hair styled in its new fashion, she didn't look as severe, either. It still took him some getting used to. "So, what are you thinking?"

"Oh, I dunno… those darn Selzerians are going to be back, and here I am without any powers… Mallory, I just feel so _useless!_"

This declaration of Sypher's own weakness stunned her. "Go on…"

"That thing I said about my having lame powers? I _meant_ it. Sure, they were cool when I was a villain, but I'm… I _was_ a hero… somehow, they weren't as appropriate, you know?"

"I see your point," Mallory smiled. "And as far as I'm concerned, you're _still_ a hero."

"You're just _saying_ that because I saved your_ life_," Drake chuckled.

"Hey, take it where you can _get_ it, copyboy. Though, you know, they were, as you'd put it, cool when they _needed_ to be. Remember when you borrowed Duck's powers and put that Selzerian in the Doomsday Bomb? None of _us_ could have pulled that trick off!"

"Yeah, but you gotta remember what I got for my troubles…"

"Oh yes… a punch in the gut from Paula!" Mallory laughed. "She _does_ have a temper sometimes."

"Not to mention an uppercut _I'll_ never forget, that's for sure!" he laughed in response. "So, let me ask you, brain babe, what are _you_ thinking?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "If you had your choice of powers, what would they be?"

"Hard to say," Drake shrugged. "Something a little more befitting a hero than swiping others' abilities, I know _that_ much." He paused. "So, you guys got any plans on dealing with our least favorite lizards when they show up?"

"We decided to do what works well for us," Mallory smiled. "We're gonna play it by ear."

"That's a lousy way to play piano," Drake observed wryly, causing Mallory to laugh. He might not have been the brightest bulb in the socket, but at least _he_ liked seeing her laugh like that; she did it so seldom these days. After getting that out of her system, Mallory surprised Drake – not to mention, herself – by planting a great big smooch on him. "What on earth was _that _for?" he gasped.

"Oh, I don't know… just for being you… and taking a hit for the team," she smirked. "_And _for rescuing me from that fire. Also, I wanted to see if I could make you forget that kiss from Zadavia."

Drake smiled back. "Zadavia _who?_" he asked. "Come on, Mallory, let's get back inside. The others are counting on us…"

Mallory looked impishly at Drake. "_Us,_ copyboy?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure how, but they _must_ be…"

---

Chapter Four: "Heritage…"

---

Tech stood off by himself, even more aloof than he usually was, resting against an oak tree. Zadavia approached him cautiously. "I thought I might find you here, Tech," she said.

"How did you know?"

"Simple. Anywhere there's a large crowd, that's where you're _not_," the Frelengian smiled.

"Have I become _that_ predictable after all this time?"

"Not predictable; I'd say, _dependable_. What's wrong?"

Tech fixed a weary stare at her. "You _know_ what's wrong, Zadavia."

"Oh… the prophecy."

"Exactly. Zadavia, I… _we_ can't keep stringing her along like this!"

"Tech, I know how you feel…"

"No, you _DON'T!_" he snapped. "Sorry, I let my emotions get control of me there."

"You really _care_ about her, don't you?"

"Don't _you?_"

"More than you can _possibly_ know," Zadavia sighed.

"Yeah, I guess she has that effect on _all_ of us… Zadavia, it isn't fair."

"General Qurrg and his underlings are going to stage all out war on these people, and they're not ready for it, and they and this whole planet are going to _die_, THAT'S what's not fair, Tech!"

"But if she knows, at _least_ she can steel herself for what might happen."

"_And_ if she knows, she _may_ not even stay around! She already left the team _once_ because she almost killed an innocent bystander! Tech, I'm sorry, we _can't_ tell her!"

"_A-HEM!_" Paula's sudden appearance startled the both of them into silence. "_What_ aren't you telling me?" Zadavia and Tech looked uncomfortably at each other. "Well? I'm _waiting_…"

Zadavia motioned her to sit down. "Paula… this isn't going to be easy…" As softly as she could, she explained the prophecy to the girl, who blinked twice.

"That's _it?_ Some silly prophecy says the Selzerians are going to be defeated by a dying bolt of _lightning?_ _That's_ what all the secrecy is about?"

"Paula," Tech said, his voice choking with emotion, "You don't understand… _You're_ the lightning…"

Paula let this sink in. "Oh…" She turned her gaze from Tech to Zadavia and back. When she found her voice, it slowly increased in volume to match her sudden state of upset. "Is _that_ what you meant when you said I was the one? That _I'm_ going to have to _DIE_ to defeat Qurrg?? Is THAT it??? I'm sorry, guys, but I love my life _too much_ to give it up for some stupid prophecy! _Especially_ to the likes of Qurrg!!"

As much as Tech had grown to care about this young woman – and he _did_ – he felt she wasn't quite getting the big picture. He hated to do it, but Paula _needed_ a dose of harsh reality, and she needed it _now_. "And do you think Qurrg _cares_ about how you feel for even a _minute?_" he challenged her sharply. "He's _already_ tried to destroy this farm that's so _precious_ to you, not to mention slapped the _snot_ out of you once, and he's _sure_ not going to stop at _that_, not when he can destroy _Acmetropolis_ at a moment's notice! _Face_ it, _little girl_, this is bigger than just _you_ now… a _whole_ lot bigger!!"

Paula glared at the coyote; then she hauled off and slapped him as hard as she could. Her reaction didn't shock Tech half as much as it shocked Paula herself. "Tech… I… I'm _sorry_…" she gasped.

"You _should_ be," he growled. "The truth _hurts_, doesn't it?"

Her lower lip quivered, but she stopped just short of turning on the tear factory. This wasn't the time for it. "Okay, _fine_," she said bitterly. "I'm going to go back, and I'm going to take on those lizards by _myself_ if I have to, and if I have to _die_ to beat them, then I _will_… but just so you know… I'm _NOT_ going to be _happy_ about it!!"

As she started to storm back to the house, Tech rubbed his aching muzzle and turned to Zadavia. "Hmm… she took it better than I _thought_ she would."

"But, Paula…" Zadavia started to say.

Paula whirled around and gazed at Zadavia with fire in her eyes. "BUT NOTHING!!" she yelled sharply. "I don't want to hear any _more_ of it, all right? It's bad enough I've just been handed a _death sentence _and _you knew_ about it and didn't even have the common decency to _tell_ me!!" There was no question about it; she was angry. "Just tell me one thing _honestly_, all right?" She glared straight into Zadavia's green eyes, which registered no emotion whatsoever. "Just _once_, tell me the _truth_… _AM I a Frelengian?_"

Zadavia took a deep breath.

"_Yes_," she replied. "You _are_."

Paula continued to glare at the blonde and at Tech. "How long have you known for sure?"

"From our first battle with the Selzerians," Tech replied. "When I was analyzing your blood sample to try and identify that poison, I noticed your blood wasn't human."

"And when I saw it, I recognized it instantly as Frelengian," Zadavia added.

"_Why_ didn't you tell me _then?_" Paula asked. "No, wait, don't answer that. I probably wouldn't believe you anyway." She started to head back to the house, but turned around. "Now if you'll both _excuse_ me, I have to break the joyous news to the _others_… unless you've got any _more_ surprises for me…"

"There _is_ one more thing you have to know…"

"_Not interested!_" And with that, Paula continued to return to the house.

Zadavia looked after her, and couldn't control herself any longer. "_MELLISANDRA!_"

Tech stared at her. "_Who?_"

Paula stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly, shock and surprise registering on her face. "What… _what_ did you just call me?" she asked, slowly approaching Zadavia.

"I… I'm sorry, Paula," Zadavia said in a choked voice. "It's just that… for a moment, you reminded me of… someone else…" Tears started to flow down her face. "I… I was wrong…"

Paula took Zadavia's hands in hers, and answered in an equally choked voice, "No… no, you're _not_… I can't even _remember_ the last time I heard that name…" Shakily, she took Zadavia's hand and placed it on her forehead. The trio gazed as a rainbow projected from Zadavia's forehead, illustrating a scene from the Frelengian royal palace that showed a much younger Zadavia, Optimatus, and an even younger girl with blue hair and soft brown eyes, and a couple in their early 30s whom both ladies recognized immediately.

"Mother… father…" Zadavia gasped.

The next scene showed the couple hastily placing the littlest girl in an escape pod. "Zadavia… is that… Mellisandra?" Tech asked, glancing from the projection to Paula and back.

"Yes," she whispered, continuing to watch with fascination as the scene shifted to the little girl's point of view from inside the pod as it ejected from her parents' spaceship, face pressed against a window as it sailed through an unexpected dust swirl.

"Tech," Paula asked, "was… was that what I _think_ it was?"

"A cosmic storm, yes," Tech replied. All three watched as a freak wormhole suddenly opened up in the middle of the storm, swallowed the pod whole, and disappeared.

The next scene showed the pod materializing from the wormhole and landing unharmed in a grassy meadow where a couple, probably in their early 20s, were having an otherwise quiet picnic. Tech stared wide-eyed as he recognized the locale. "That… that's Acmetropolis!" he declared quietly. "I remember seeing that area in the history books… But… those people… is that – _Dr. Moreau?_" He turned and looked at Paula in astonishment. "She looked just _like_ you even then…"

Paula gasped and brought a hand to her mouth. "You're right… That's… my adoptive parents, Tech… only she was a grad student then… but where do _you_ know her from?"

"I met Paulette when she was a guest lecturer at the Institute, back when I was still a student, why?"

"No… no reason, just curious… I… I've seen enough, Zadavia…"

The blonde removed her hand from Paula's forehead, causing the projection to disappear. The two ladies looked at each other, still trying to get over their mutual shock. Finally, Zadavia was the first one to speak. "_Mellisandra…_ it's really _you!_" she whispered, as the two Frelengians embraced.

"Yes, sister, it's really me…"

Even Tech, who'd thought he'd seen _everything_, was startled. "_Sister?_" He shook his head and quickly regained control. "That tears it, then. Paula, or Mellisandra, or _whatever_ your name is, we _can't_ let you do this! Not _now!_"

Paula turned to the coyote and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. When she spoke, there was no anger or bitterness; not even an ounce of sadness or resignation – only quiet determination and sudden maturity. "It's all right, Tech. I _have_ to. It's my _duty_ as a Princess of Freleng. If I die, then so be it."

"But… the _prophecy_…"

Paula smiled and looked at the pair as if she were up to something. "Tech, Zadavia… have you ever heard of the word, 'loophole'?"

---

Paula assembled the rest of the Force in the kitchen. This news was really going to be hard to break to the rest of them, but as Tech had said at the beginning, they had to know the bad as well as the good. No point in sugar-coating it. "So, Paula," Drake asked, "what's the deal?"

"Guys, well… you know who and what we're up against. And it's not just Acmetropolis. The whole _galaxy's_ counting on us this time."

"Hey, we already suspected that much," Mallory said.

"Well, there's something you _don't_ know. I only just found out about it myself, in fact," Paula sighed, took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and then laid the bombshell on them. "Guys… _I'm going to die_." The group reacted with startled gasps and various exclamations of disbelief. "_Please_, let me continue," Paula said. "Apparently, there's this Frelengian prophecy that says for the Selzerians to be defeated, _I'm_ going to have to… well, it goes like this." She took another deep breath and repeated the prophecy word for word:

_"The last Selzerian will be destroyed from within_

_ By lightning from the skies._

_ The lightning will dwindle to a spark;_

_ And having defeated them all,_

_ It, too, will die,_

_ Never to live again."_

When she had finished, she bowed her head for a few seconds. "So, if any of you want to say goodbye to me, _now's_ the time to do it, I guess," she added stoically.

Massive was the first to react. "Paula… is this _true?_ Is this _really_ going to be it?"

"Afraid so, big guy," she said, hugging him for all it was worth and giving him what might well be their final kiss, and then doing the same to the rest of the Force.

"Gee, it seems like we hardly got to _know_ each other, Paula," Duke replied, looking deeply into her soft brown eyes as their lips separated.

"That's something _else_ I haven't told you guys yet," she forced herself to smile. "My name isn't _really_ Paula Hayes, but then, you probably _already_ guessed that from my being a Frelengian."

"So it's _true_," Drake said. "Hey, it's not important…"

"Yes it is, Drake," she replied. "My _real_ name's Mellisandra Maxima… _Princess_ Mellisandra Maxima…"

"Wait a minute…" Vel said, putting the pieces together. "That would mean…"

"Exactly, Velvet," Paula said calmly. "Zadavia and Optimatus are my sister and brother. I didn't find _that_ out until just a few minutes ago, either." She took a deep breath. "If I may quote my sister, if this is really going to be it, then it has indeed been an honor for me to serve with _all_ of you. Well, if you have a plan, you'd better draw it up _now_. I'll go with _whatever_ you come up with… and if I don't get the chance to say it later, I love all of you." She took another deep breath. "I'm just going to have another look at the stars. I'll be right back." Paula smiled and went out the back door to do just that.

Drake furrowed his brow, excused himself, and went into the front room, where Tech was seated on the couch. "Did you bring it?"

"Need you ask?" the coyote replied, producing a small yellow box and a tourniquet. While Drake rolled up his sleeve, Tech applied the tourniquet, and produced the syringe from the box, which contained Drake's original blood sample. Tech injected him with it, bandaged the wound, and said, "Good luck, Drake."

"Thanks, Tech," Drake smiled, rolling his sleeve back down. "Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna live out every boy's dream."

"What's that?"

"What else?" Drake replied. "I'm gonna go save the princess…"

---

Paula stood out by the barn, gazing up to the heavens, and asking herself a ton of questions, _none_ of which had easy answers. She finally stopped asking. If this is how it was meant to be, then, as she said, so be it. She had to admit, though, she'd managed to pack _more_ excitement and adventure into the last 24 months of what was looking to be a prematurely short life – only 21 years – than most people did in their whole _existence_. If Paula had any regrets, it was – among others – that it _couldn't_ have gone on longer. She would have loved to have had a _few_ more decades under her belt, at least. 21 was _much_ too young an age for _anybody_ to die. She turned around and gasped when she saw Drake. "_Oh!_ You startled me for a minute," she said, panting.

"Sorry, cuteness. A small slice of quasarlinium for your thoughts…"

"Okay, it's… it's just…" Paula started shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. "_Drake, I don't want to_ _die!_" she bawled, clinging tightly to him. "I know it's what that prophecy _says_ I have to do, but… _I just can't do it_…" Drake could do nothing more than a perfect imitation of Massive, holding her close and gently stroking her hair while Paula tried – and failed – to get it all out of her system. "All this talk of duty and being a hero and saving Acmetropolis and defeating Qurrg and…" She looked up at him, tears flowing from those soft brown eyes, and whispered, "Drake, I'm _frightened_…"

"Hey, Paula, take it easy, you're _not_ going to die," he whispered back.

"Drake, you can't _stop_ it…"

"The _heck_ I can't!" he declared. "_Forgive_ me, Princess Mellisandra… Paula… but ever since we first met, I've _always_ wanted to _do_ this." Gently grasping her shoulders, he kissed her with every bit of emotion he had, as he drained every last ounce of her powers from her. Paula slumped down in his arms, and after wiping any traces of her lipstick off, he picked her up and whispered in her ear, "_Sorry_, cuteness, but if _anybody's_ gonna be the sacrificial lightning around here, it's gonna be _me!_"

As he started to carry her back to the farmhouse, Drake thought that if Massive had only seen this, he would have _never_ forgiven him …

---

"Paula!" Velvet exclaimed. "Drake, what _happened_ to her?"

"She collapsed by the barn," he replied, setting her down on the couch. "I guess the strain was a bit too much for her." Neither statement was an outright lie; in fact, each was the truth, depending on how you chose to twist it. "Anybody come up with a plan yet?" he asked, grabbing a tissue and wiping Paula's tears away.

"Just come out fighting," Mallory replied.

"That's all we _can_ do, I guess," Duke agreed.

"Sounds like a plan to _me_, guys," Paula said, slowly sitting up. "Thanks, Drake. Anybody see Zadavia?"

"Right here, sister," the blonde Frelengian replied.

"Okay. Unroll that war bird of yours and let's get to it. Everyone else, hang out on the back porch for a minute or two. Duke, Tech, I need to see you two alone for a moment."

"Okay," Duke shrugged, as the rest of the team left the room. "What's the deal?"

"Tech, you remember I talked about a loophole?" The coyote nodded silently. "I think I've _got_ one. You recall what happened the last time we fought Qurrg?"

"Can you be more specific?"

"The last time _you and I_ fought him, is that specific enough for you, Sherlock?" Paula countered.

"Oh yes, we were in the cold storage unit and… _wait_ a minute… Paula, do you mean…?"

"I do," she replied. "Qurrg left it behind before he was captured, right?" Tech nodded slowly. "You didn't dismantle it yet, did you?"

"No, as a matter of fact, it's back at my lab on planet Blanc."

"Good. Go get it and then bring it to the tower."

"But what about…?"

"Mallory can sub for you with Zadavia, she's become an excellent navigator."

"I'll vouch for that," Duke interjected.

"You'll _have_ to," Paula said. "Duke, you're sitting this one out."

"_WHAT?!?_"

"You're being grounded. That's an _order_, flyboy!" Paula then explained precisely what it was she had in mind. "…Besides, Tech's going to need you back at the tower to help him retrofit it, and you're gonna have to fly it in to me. If it doesn't work, _then_ you can come out firing," she smiled. "Hands and paws, folks." The three put their hands (and paws) together. "Operation Poetic Justice starts now. Get going!"

"Right!" Tech and Duke replied, and Tech activated the portal which took them to planet Blanc.

After they were gone, Paula thought to herself, 'And now for the _hard_ part…'

In the meantime, Drake stood off from the front porch, staring up at the night sky, and wondering to himself if the course of action he had chosen was _really_ the right one. He heaved a deep sigh, turned around, and almost bumped smack into Massive. "YEAAAGGH! Don't sneak up on me like that, man!"

"Sorry, Drake," Gordon said. "Any _other_ instance, I'd have had to _flatten_ you, you know that, don't you?"

"Hey, I'm trying to save her _life!_ If you were me, you'd do exactly the… same…" He stopped suddenly. "Uh-oh… busted…" He blushed sheepishly while Massive nodded with a meat-eating grin on his face, holding the yellow box. "_Okay_, Gordon, what gave it away? _Besides_ that?"

Massive produced a handkerchief, wiped the last traces of Paula's lipstick off of Drake, and handed it to him. "This _really_ isn't your shade, pal. I had you figured more for a 'nuclear winter'…"

"Um, yeah… guess not…" Drake muttered, and then tried to explain. "Listen, I had to do _something_, okay? She puts up a brave front, but I'm telling you, man, she's _scared!_ She _doesn't_ want to die, especially like _that!_ I'm… sorry if I went overboard…"

"Hey, don't apologize, I get the idea," Massive sighed. "_I_ don't want her to die, either. I don't think _any _of us want her to. Just promise me _one_ thing, okay?"

"Sure…"

"When you return her powers to her, a little _less_ lip contact, all right?"

"A handshake instead of a kiss… I got ya," Drake said. "Hey, Gord?"

"What?"

"If you _were_ me…"

"Exactly the same, Drake. No question."

"I _thought_ so. You're lucky to have her…"

"Yeah, I know…"

"Oh, Gord?" Drake smiled, a little uneasily. "Zadavia was right."

"About what?"

"You really _could_ be a first-class detective…"

---

Paula approached the door that led into the family library and knocked softly. "It's open," replied Ben. She walked in, pulled up a chair, and sat down. "Hey, Paula, what's the matter?"

"I suppose you already heard my pep talk to the others," she began, almost apologetically.

"Yeah, we did, I'm afraid," May replied.

"Paula? Is all of it true?" Pauline asked, attempting to fight back her tears, and failing.

"I'm afraid so," Paula replied. "Stunned me, too. I don't know which was the bigger surprise; finding out I'm actually a Frelengian princess, or… well…"

"Couldn't you just be a princess and let it _go_ at that?" Pauline sniffed.

"Sorry, kiddo," Paula sighed. "It's a package deal… and a pretty _lousy_ one at that…"

"I see," Pauline said, wrapping her arms around Paula. "_Please_ don't die…" she sobbed.

Paula wrapped her arms around the girl and, try as she might to control herself, couldn't contain her emotions any longer. "I'll try _not_ to," she cried, "but I _can't_ make any promises, understand?"

"_No_," Pauline whimpered. "But I'll try…"

"That's all I can ask, then," Paula said, giving a kiss and a hug to her alternate family. "I guess I'd better go get ready now… you guys were the best family I ever had," she sobbed, making a hasty exit from the library. She was right. This really _was_ the hard part.

Ben watched her leave, and then turned to his wife. "May, did you ever hear Rutherford or Paulette say they _hated_ Paula?"

May fixed a confused look at Ben. "No, not that _I_ can remember…"

"Hm… wonder where she ever got an idea like _that_, then…"

---

Chapter Five: "The Final Countdown..."

---

"Does anybody remember where Zadavia parked the warbird?" Mallory asked.

"It's hidden in the back of the barn," Velvet reminded her. "You've just got to go in and _get_ it."

"Oh, right," Mall replied, wearing one of those 'how could I forget?' looks. "Come on, Drake."

"Right with you, brain babe," he answered, following the diminutive genius outside. "We shouldn't be long…"

"We'll be waiting," Paula said, watching them go. Massive approached her cautiously and put a hand on her shoulder, which she instinctively grasped.

"You _had_ to go and let him take your powers, _didn't_ you, babe?" he asked softly.

"Well, how was _I_ to know he'd pull a stunt like _that?_" she shrugged, not daring to look at him. "I guess I can't really _blame_ him, Gordon… I mean, this dying to save the universe business _is_ frightening… especially when _I'm_ the one who's supposed to be doing it… There's still so much I want to _do_, yet, you know?"

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know," Paula said, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I always wanted to get married, start a family – in that order…"

"Of course," Gordon smiled. "Just that?"

"Well, no," Paula replied. "Maybe travel, see exotic places… _lots_ of stuff. I can't really do any of that if I'm… if I'm…" That was when she finally broke down sobbing again. Gordon pulled her close to him and gently stroked her hair.

"You can't _say_ it, can you?" he whispered. "That's all right, babe, you don't need to. I understand."

"I hope the _universe_ does, as well," she cried. "Speaking of Drake, shouldn't he and Mallory have gotten Zadavia's plane by now?"

"You're right, Paula, it _is_ taking them longer than necessary," Gordon mused. "Vel?"

"Here, Gord, what's the deal?"

"Mall and Drake aren't back yet…"

"Something's wrong," Velvet muttered with a worried face, operating a scanning device built in to her left glove. "Let me run a scan on the barn… oh no…"

"What is it?" Paula asked, drying her tears.

"They've got company. Selzerians."

"What?" Massive growled.

"Apparently they just showed up from out of nowhere… and unfortunately, the warbird is at the wrong end of the barn. Those two are gonna have to go around or _through_ those lizards to get at it."

"How good are their chances, Vel?" Paula asked.

"I don't know."

"Wait a minute, babe. Drake's got your powers, right?"

"What?" Vel snapped. "When did _that_ happen?"

"Earlier," Paula replied succinctly, "and unless he really _is_ as stupid as people say he is, even _he_ wouldn't shoot off lightning in a barn!"

"Not even against those space lizards?" Massive asked.

"_Especially_, Gord. Drake's no Einstein, but _he_ wouldn't risk setting uncle Ben's barn on fire – even to save his and Mallory's lives. And anyway, you _know_ how Mall feels about being trapped in burning buildings."

"So what can we do?" Velvet asked.

"Hope he's smart enough to come up with a plan B," Paula sighed.

"Great," Massive muttered. "If it isn't one darn thing, it's _another!_"

---

"The General will be so _pleased_ with this capture," one of the Selzerians gloated, as the lizards backed Drake and Mallory into a corner of the barn.

"Drake?" Mallory whispered. "What are we going to do?"

"Think, Mallory, _think_… there must be _anything_ made of metal around this barn," he whispered back.

"Right, but I have to be able to get close to it," she countered. "What are you going to do in the meantime?"

Drake cast a devilish smile. "What I do _best_, brain babe… _stall for time_," he said, reaching into his uniform and pulling out a small white object. "All right, don't _any_ of you lizards _move!_" he shouted angrily, getting their attention. "I've got a bottle of _naproxen sodium_ in my hand, and so help me, I _won't_ hesitate to _use _it! And believe me, I'm just crazy enough to _do_ it!!"

One of the advancing Selzerians stopped and turned to his comrade. "Do you think he's _bluffing?_"

"I don't know," the other one answered. "He _looks_ just mentally _unstable_ enough… he _might_…"

"This is _absurd_," the first one countered, darting out his long tongue, snatching the bottle from Drake's grasp and swallowing it! "Finish him… off…" Suddenly, he coughed, wheezed, and dropped dead on the spot!

The second Selzerian looked first at his fallen comrade, then at Drake, then back at the still form of the first Selzerian. "Garmond! _Say_ something!"

A whistle from behind him got his attention. He looked up… and before he knew what had happened, a pitchfork flew through the air at high speed and caught him right in the throat, felling him instantly. "YES!" Mallory shouted, pumping her fist as Drake rushed to rejoin her. Together, they dashed out of the back door, the collapsed black war bird in Drake's arms.

"Good shot, Mall!"

"You didn't do so bad yourself, copyboy," she panted as they rejoined the others. "_Naproxen sodium_, huh? That's _pain reliever!_"

"Yeah. I was hoping they didn't _know_ that," he grinned, setting the black ball on the ground, "and I guess it worked. Those guys were a pain anyway."

"He should've read the overdose warnings," Mallory chuckled.

"Yeah. Boss chick, it's all yours!"

"Thank you, Drake," Zadavia nodded, pressing her remote control which unfolded the cruiser. "Let's go, Mallory!"

"Right behind you," she replied, turning to Drake. "Look, Drake, I…"

"Save it for later, okay? Now GO! _GO GO GO GO GO!!!_"

"Okay, stop shouting," Mall said, following Zadavia into the cruiser. Once they were inside, the door closed shut and the two ladies took their places, Zadavia in the pilot's seat and Mallory in the navigator's chair. Zadavia pressed a button on the dashboard, and the black ship rose from the ground and soared into the sky. Once in position, Mallory looked into the GPS monitor. "Zadavia! Lizards at 1, 3 and 5 o'clock!"

"I see them," Zadavia replied, targeting and dispatching them with an almost callous disregard for Selzerian life – and really, who could blame her? "Mallory, we've got four on our tail! Red button!"

Mallory checked her GPS, pressed the red button, and watched as four heat-seeking missiles destroyed the following Selzerians with no effort at all. "Not any more, boss chick!" Her smirk fell as she checked her monitor once again. "Uh-oh…"

Zadavia looked into her monitor, and her countenance likewise fell. "_Damn!_" she cursed. "Where are they all _coming _from?" She fired the negative energy beam at as many of the Selzerian ships as she could in one sweep.

"Um, Zadavia, I think the answer's up ahead," Mallory replied softly. Both ladies looked up and found themselves staring at a Selzerian death bomber. In its undisguised state, it practically dwarfed the Frelengian warbird – and then some.

"Take evasive action!" the Frelengian ordered. "Keep them as far away from the farm as possible!"

"You got it!" Mallory replied. The two women worked like a single machine, evading and destroying more Selzerians, but it didn't seem to have any long-term effect. The more they shot down, the more enemy starships kept coming. "Zadavia, there's too many of them! We'll _never_ outlast them!"

"Don't count us out _yet_, Mallory," Zadavia replied with a determined frown. "Do you see that triangular button to your right?"

"Yeah…"

"Press it. It's our last hope." Mallory wasted no time.

"Now what?"

Zadavia left her chair and approached Mallory. "The yellow button to your left…"

"What about it?"

"When I give you the signal, press it, and prepare to abandon ship… just a little closer…" Mallory guided the ship as best she could while undoing her seat belt, and then leaned over the console, Zadavia joining her. "Ready… NOW!" As Mallory punched the yellow button, Zadavia wrapped Mallory and herself up in her cloak, and they vanished, rejoining the others on the ground as the warbird crashed into the death bomber, enveloping it in a large negative energy field and exploding. They didn't dare look, but forced themselves to do so, finally.

The death bomber was completely destroyed.

Unfortunately, there was still a large deployment of Selzerian starfighters up there… and Qurrg was in the lead. "Nice try, Zadavia!" he said, his voice booming out over the landscape, "but I'm afraid you were in over your head… all of you. Starfighters… on my mark… destroy them!" The small group could only watch, terrified, as the aliens flew in formation for what would surely be the death blow, and unable to say anything. "Starfighters… 3… 2… 1…"

Qurrg never got the chance to give the mark order, as suddenly a wormhole opened up and a fleet of Orion class dragon ships flew out of it, blasting the starfighters to bits!

"Zadavia," Paula gasped, "what just happened?"

The blonde looked up with a smile on her face and said, simply, "Optimatus."

In the lead Frelengian ship, Optimatus led his squadron after the remaining Selzerians, whom they had almost no trouble dispatching… except for one. "That _must_ be Qurrg," he glowered. "Green Dragon, status!"

"We're out of ammunition, your majesty…"

"Other fighters, status report!" But the answer he got was the same from all of them. "Very well, men, you've done all you could. Return home. I'll handle Qurrg myself. Optimatus out!" Another wormhole opened up, and the Frelengians returned to base, where they would surely receive a hero's welcome, while leaving their king to fight Qurrg alone. It proved to be no easy task, however, as the general dodged every one of the Frelengian's blasts until, finally, he too was left with no ammunition. He leaned back in his chair, took a deep breath, and pressed a button on his armrest. "Optimatus to Zadavia," he said calmly, the message being picked up on all of the HOP Force's wrist communicators. "I'm out of ammunition. I'm afraid there's only _one_ option left… I'm going to have to ram Qurrg's starfighter and crash it into the ground."

"But, brother… you'll _die_…" Zadavia replied, her voice choking.

"I _know_, sister," he replied calmly. "Tell me… about Paula… _is_ she…"

Paula leaned into Zadavia's communicator, tears flowing freely. "_Yes_, brother… I _am_," she smiled.

"_Mellisandra_… Then… I can die happily," Optimatus said, before another wormhole unexpectedly opened up and a pearl-white Frelengian fighter jet appeared!

"Like _hell_ you will, your majesty!"

_**"DUKE!"**_Paula screamed.

"Eh, he ain't alone there, Weathergoil…"

"ACE!" Paula sniffed excitedly. "You're here, too?"

"We _all_ are, girlfriend!" Lexi declared. "You didn't think you were going to leave _us_ out of this, did you?"

"No, I guess not…" Paula smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Then let's quit yakkin' and get on with it," Danger Duck added. "Baby needs a new pair of lizard-skin boots!"

"Okay, guys, get ready," Duke said as Ace and Lexi applied their amplification headgear, which enabled their powers to be fed into the fighter's weapons system.

"Anytime, boss!" Ace replied.

Rev looked closely in the navigator's monitor. "One-space-lizard-about-to-become-history,- Duke!"

"Roger that, Rev… ready… aim… FIRE!" he shouted as the HOP Force's jet fired at the starfighter with everything it had, blowing it to kingdom come. _**"YEE-FREAKIN'-HAA!"**_ Duke yelled as the jet circled overhead. "You're good to go, Optimatus!"

"Duke, I thought we agreed…"

"Sorry, Surfer Girl, but I had an itchy trigger finger," Duke smiled.

"I'll just _bet_…" Paula grinned. "Tech, how's it looking?"

"Hold the happiness, guys. GPS shows one Selzerian just materialized near the barn, and no prizes for guessing who it is. Sorry, but this thing isn't over yet."

"Qurrg," Paula said grimly. "This one's _mine!_ Duke, you got my loophole?"

"Fully loaded and ready, Surfer Girl," he replied, opening the cargo bay.

"I see it! Drake, let's go! You're gonna have to fly my board in for me!"

"Gotcha, Paula!" The pair jumped on her hover board and zoomed to intercept the plane. "Okay, Duke, let 'er drop!"

"Special delivery!" Duke replied, and out of the plane fell Paula's custom-made Zoomatrix. The pair caught up with it in free fall.

"Paula," Drake said, "whether this works or not… well, it's been a _kick_, boss chick."

"Thanks, Drake. Same here. Oh, _this_ is just in case I never see you again," Paula replied, giving Drake an intense kiss that briefly made his knees buckle. Too late, he realized what was happening… she was taking her powers back!

"_No!_ Paula… _please_… you _can't…_" he gasped.

"Sorry, but there's room for only _one_ Weathergirl on this team, Drake, and, well, _you're_ not her," she sighed wanly, brushing a hand against his face. "For one thing, you don't have the legs."

"Well, I tried," Drake sighed, accepting the inevitable.

"I know," she sighed in return, giving him a quick hug and a brief kiss. "Thanks for trying, squirt. _Hieronymus!!_" she yelled, diving off her hover board and landing effortlessly in the Zoomatrix, firing up the motor and roaring through the skies. As she did so, she caught sight of her target. "Okay, let's just see if I can _beat_ this lousy prophecy," she said through gritted teeth. "Hey, Qurrg, open up!" she yelled. The lone Selzerian turned around, jaws wide open in astonishment as Paula headed right for him… and fitted to the side of her Zoomatrix was Qurrg's third Afflicto-Ray. "Stay just like that, I wanna remember you just how you _were!_" she grunted, coming as dangerously close as she dared. On the last word, she fired and smiled as Qurrg collapsed from a fatal heart attack. For the _coup de grace_, she blew him a kiss as she turned her cycle around in mid-air and zoomed away. "This isn't a thing I normally say, guys," the Force heard her declare through their wrist communicators, "but _YEE-FREAKIN'-HAA!_" With that, she circled around and rejoined the others.

"I love to watch dying Selzerians in the evening," Mastermind grinned as Paula parked her Zoomatrix and jumped back on her hover board. "Or _any_ time, now that I think about it."

"And I forgot my marshmallows," Pauline noted.

"Oh, you don't want to eat those things, they'll make you _fat!_" Paula smirked.

General Qurrg coughed and grunted, wounded and dying. "So, how's it feel to be in over _your_ ugly head, dude?" Drake asked.

"Embarrassing," Qurrg replied, and the HOP Force thought they saw a rueful smile on the beast. "But as long as I'm… going… you wouldn't refuse the condemned one last… meal?" He quickly shot out a long slithery tongue, aiming squarely towards Pauline!

"NO!!" Paula screamed.

What happened next was a blur. Riding her hover board, she zoomed in, snatching her cousin out of the way and tossing her to Massive, just as Qurrg wrapped his tongue around Paula and, before the others could react, swallowed her whole, taking great pains to chew a few times.

"PAULA!!!!" Massive shouted, clutching Pauline close to him so she couldn't see. The others stared in shock as the monster gulped and smiled evilly, revealing six rows of razor sharp teeth, now stained with Paula's blood… just before, to the surprise of all, including himself, he started expanding, bolts of lightning shooting out from inside him. The heroes ducked for cover as suddenly, without warning – or for that matter, any logical explanation whatsoever – General Artemis Augustus Qurrg, the last Selzerian in the universe, exploded!

"Ew," muttered Drake, turning around… and that's when he drew in a sharp breath. "LOOK!!" he shouted. The others did, and couldn't believe their eyes.

Where Qurrg had once stood was a small tornado. As it rapidly diminished in size, they saw that, standing alone amidst the debris – her left arm raised defiantly and shooting out lightning – was Weather Vane.

"ALL RIGHT, SURFER GIRL, YOU _DID_ IT!!" Duke shouted as he ran to sweep her up. It was the fact that he suddenly stopped that _really_ drew everyone's attention. "Paula? You all right?"

Weather Vane had a dazed look on her face.

That's when the others finally noticed it.

Her right arm had been bitten off halfway above the elbow.

"Oh, _no_…" gasped Mallory.

Weather Vane collapsed at that point.

"It's the prophecy," Tech whispered, choking back tears, reciting it once more:

_"The last Selzerian will be destroyed from within_

_ By lightning from the skies._

_ The lightning will dwindle to a spark;_

_ And having defeated them all,_

_ It, too, will… die,_

_ Never… to live… again."_

As the others gathered around her, Gordon knelt down, propped her head up in his lap, and gently stroked her hair. As he did so, Weather Vane reverted to Paula. Her breathing was labored and weak, her voice was barely audible, her skin was almost white, and tears were running down her face. It was all she could do to keep from going into shock – and she was _already_ losing the battle. "I… _really_ should have… seen that one… _coming_, Gordon," she gasped. "Is… is Pauline…"

"She's just fine, Paula." Gordon was having trouble holding back tears as well.

She clutched at the younger Sypher brother with her one remaining arm. "Did… did we _get_ them, Drake?"

"Every last one, cuteness," he said, kneeling down beside her.

"All the monsters… go boom?" she smiled.

"Yeah… we won…" Drake cried, unable to keep his emotions in check any longer.

"That's… good…" she said. "What? Tears? For me? No… Drake, please… don't cry… any of you…" she added, reaching up and feebly trying to brush Drake's tears away. "It… had to be done…" An almost peaceful smile graced her lips. "Strange…"

"What?"

"I always thought… dying would… _hurt_ more than… this," she whispered before her head slumped forward.

The others bowed their heads and wept quietly as Gordon gently closed Paula's eyelids. Drake held her left wrist in his hand… and then his head unexpectedly shot up, disbelief registering in his voice. "HEY, I'M GETTING A _**PULSE!**_"

"Say _WHAT?!?_" Massive roared.

_"__**SHE'S STILL ALIVE, GUYS!!**_" Drake yelled. "_**TECH!!**_ GET YOUR COYOTE BUTT HERE _**NOW!!!**_"

"Such _language_," Tech muttered as he happily did just that…

---

Chapter Six: "The End."

---

EPILOGUE…

Paula lay still on her bed, barely alive and deathly pale from the excessive amount of blood lost to Qurrg. Velvet and May had to remove her uniform (what was left of it) in order to prep her wounds, so Paula was dressed in a simple pink slip, the covers up to her waist, a towel loosely wrapped around the stump of her right arm. Her bedroom was slightly crowded with HOP Forcers, Loonatics, her rural family as well as her Frelengian siblings, yet everyone kept their distance as Tech prepared the injection. "Why's it glowing green like that?" Pauline asked, fighting back tears.

"Because it can," Drake offered as a response.

"You're chock full of hooey, anybody ever tell you that?"

"Well, Mallory did once, but not exactly like _that_," he replied, casting a not so surreptitious glance at Mastermind. "I think the exact words she used were I was full of -- "

"_Drake?_" Mallory warned him.

"Oh. Right. Forgot. Sorry," he blushed.

"Okay, folks, here we go," Tech whispered as he administered the full-strength version of his regenerative formula. The others held their breath, waited and watched in amazement as Paula's right arm reappeared almost magically, briefly bathed in a fluorescent green glow.

"So _that's_ how it works," Velvet said in awe.

Paula's shallow breathing quickly returned to its full strength, and the color returned to her skin as well. "She's going to make it, guys," Tech smiled, wiping his forearm against his brow. "I think we really ought to let her rest, now. She's been through a lot."

Paula stirred at that exact moment. "Wha… what happened? Gordon?"

Massive made his way to her bedside and embraced her. "It's okay, babe," he whispered, stroking her hair. "You're just fine."

"Is it over?"

The 'big guy' smiled. "It's _over_, babe. We _did_ it. No more Selzerians. Like you said, all the monsters go boom."

Paula fixed this _look_ upon him. "I didn't _really_ say that, did I?"

The others nodded with wiseacre smirks on their faces. "Um, you did, boss chick," Drake grinned.

"Gordon, I don't _really_ talk like that! _Tell_ them!"

"And I quote," Massive smirked, "_'Aw, you don't wike my widdle bunny swippers?'_"

As the room erupted in laughter, Paula grimaced. "When I get out of here, you are all gonna be _SO_ toast!"

"We're looking _SO_ forward to it," Pauline giggled, handing her cousin a saucer with two slices of bread and a butter knife. "Better get practicing."

"Smart aleck," Paula smiled, and looked at her newly regenerated arm, then at Velvet. "I see I got the full goose bozo treatment this time, same as you."

"I just _knew_ there was a reason I kept calling you 'little sister'," Vel replied.

"You and me both," added a familiar soft voice from the doorway.

"Zadavia!" Paula exclaimed, sitting up to receive her sister's hug.

"Congratulations, all of you. Because of you, the universe is finally _freed_ from the menace of the Selzerians. The galaxy owes you _all_ a debt of gratitude."

"All right, the room's getting a little bit _crowded_, don't you think?" Mallory suggested irritably.

"Okay, we can take a hint," Drake griped with a smile on his face.

As everyone else made their way to the door, Paula said, "_Drake?_ Can you come here a minute? There's something I need to tell you."

"Yeah?" he asked, nervously approaching her bedside.

Paula placed a calming hand on his arm, and spoke softly. "You _really_ racked up the bonus points this time out, _didn't_ you, guy?" she smiled.

"I… I don't _get_ it, boss chick…"

"First you saved the team from the explosion at Qurrg's trial, then you rescued Velvet, you warned us away from the Curium, and finally, you tried to save _me_ from the prophecy… You know, Drake, I always _wondered_ just how far you'd _really_ go to save the rest of us. _Now_ I know. Last time, and then you're _really_ going to have to find your _own_ princess to save, all right?" she smiled, hugging him warmly before they shared one final kiss. As they separated, a small tear ran down Paula's face. "Thank you, Drake. If this were Freleng, I'd put in a word to have you made our Knight Protector or something… except as I see it, you already _are_."

"A _what?_"

Optimatus picked up the thread. "A Knight Protector was an ancient and very special rank of _honor_ on our planet, Drake. It went only to those who could be trusted without question, and their sole duty was to protect the members of the Frelengian royal family from danger by any and all extraordinary means possible, without regard for their own life. Granted, the way you tried to save our sister from the prophecy _might_ have been pushing the envelope, perhaps, but it fits the description."

"Whoa! Who knew?" Drake said, clearly impressed. "What else?"

"The Knight Protector took his position _very_ seriously, because it was a _very_ serious duty. To fail meant…"

"Let me guess… _death?_"

"Now _really_, Drake, we like to think Freleng's much more civilized than _that_," Zadavia smiled. "Permanent banishment from the planet, that's all; a condition that, I'm proud to note, has _never_ had to be enacted. Also, the Knight Protector's position was for life." She reached in her cloak and pulled out a small golden box, which she presented to the startled Sypher. "Inside this box is the symbol of the Knight Protector. Since theirs was a special duty, Drake, it also meant they had to have special powers."

"I hope _wisdom_ is included," Duke noted with mild irony. "He could _use_ some."

"Sorry, Don, but no. That is something he will gain on his own… _if_ he chooses to accept it." Zadavia looked around the room, and smiled as Pauline handed her the butter knife. "It will have to do," she shrugged.

"Eh, one moment, boss lady," Ace chimed in, handing her the Guardian Strike Sword. "If you're gonna do this thing, you oughta do it right!"

"Duly noted, Ace. Do you accept the honor, Drake?"

"Is she kidding?" Mallory asked Velvet.

"No, I'm _serious_, Mallory," Zadavia replied. "Freleng hasn't had a Knight Protector for _centuries_, but there's no reason we can't revive it _here…_ with modifications, of course. Well, Drake?"

"Um, I'm probably overstating the obvious, but Acmetropolis doesn't _have_ a Frelengian royal family…"

"You're right, Drake, they don't," Zadavia smiled, "but the HOP Force will serve just as well."

"Why not? I accept."

"Then, open the box."

Drake looked around the room nervously. This was going to be as life-changing a moment for him as getting caught in the original meteor strike was… only _different _– and he knew it. Taking a deep breath, he opened the box and found a crystalline replica of the curved triangle that adorned all of the Force's uniforms. "What am I supposed to _do_ with it, exactly?"

"Hold it, of course," Zadavia smiled. Drake shrugged and held the triangle in his right hand. Instantly, the triangle glowed with a golden hue that rapidly filled the room, and then covered Drake completely. When it dissipated, he briefly shifted his eyes back and forth.

"Hey, Drake, what happened to your _uniform?_" Lexi asked.

"It… didn't fall _apart_, did it?" he asked, carefully looking downward, and then he took in a huge gasp. His yellow and red triangle had changed to one of gold. "_Whoa!_ Zadavia… what does this mean?"

"It means you are now _chosen_ as Knight Protector. It also means you now have your _own _powers."

"You mean…?"

"Exactly, Drake. You'll _never_ have to steal anyone else's abilities again. Use your powers wisely. The future safety of your fellow HOP Forcers may _depend_ on them… and you. _Kneel_, Drake." He'd seen enough of those old sword and chivalry movies to know the drill, and knelt before Zadavia, while she tapped him on both shoulders with the sword. "Arise, Sir Drake Sypher, Knight Protector of Acmetropolis!"

"Arise and haul freight the heck _out_ of here," Mallory grumbled. "At the risk of repeating myself, you can all come back and see Paula tomorrow, but right now, the woman needs her rest!"

As the others made their way to the door, Paula shouted, "Hey!"

"What?"

"I just realized… in all the time we've been together… that's the _first_ time Mallory didn't call me a _girl!_"

Mallory smiled. "I figured you were _also_ due for a promotion. You've _earned_ it."

"She's right," Massive grinned. "I guess we _can't_ keep calling you a girl anymore."

"Yeah, well, she'll _still_ be 'Surfer Girl' to me," Duke smiled.

"I have no doubt she'll _always_ be 'Surfer Girl' to all of us," Zadavia added. "Mallory's right, though." The others took the hint and headed out the door with promises to come back tomorrow. Paula knew that they would, of course. They _had_ to. The rest of the Force were going to sleep in the cruiser anyway, and _nothing_ would make them leave.

As Zadavia and Tech made their way out, Paula called to them. "Hey, wait up, you two!" They turned around and returned to her bedside.

"Yes?" Tech asked.

Paula tried to look at him, but couldn't. She bowed her head and said softly, "Tech… about that slap… I'm sorry… you were _right_… about _everything_… I guess the truth _does_ hurt, doesn't it?"

Tech looked her in the eyes. "Yes… but _lies_ hurt worse… of course, that's _nothing_ compared to having a million volts go through you just before you _disintegrate_," he chuckled, taking her in his arms and giving her a one-size-fits-all-I-forgive-you hug. "Which, incidentally, I hope you _never_ have to go through! Oh, by the way, Paula, Mallory's right. You're _not_ a girl – little, surfer _or_ otherwise. Not after today."

"Thanks, Tech… Um, were you serious? About there being no more Selzerians, I mean?"

"Yes," Zadavia replied. "Should I perform the memory absorption again?"

"No, I'll be fine, sister. I figure once I've been chewed up and swallowed by a huge space lizard, _nothing_ can frighten me anymore. You just have to keep your eyes closed and think of Saturn," Paula smiled, and then turned serious. "So you were right… I _was_ the one, after all…"

"Yes, you were," Zadavia replied. "Just think, you only wanted to save Acmetropolis, and instead…"

"…Instead I saved the whole _universe_. Imagine that!"

Zadavia smiled. "For what it's worth, sister, _you_ were right, too."

"Oh? In what way?"

"You really _did_ love your life too much to give it up to Qurrg," the blonde Frelengian replied.

Paula stared down at her blanket. "Yeah, I guess. I can't help _thinking_, though… I should feel _better_ about it."

"How so?" Tech asked.

"Okay, I _know_ the Selzerians were _evil_, and I'm glad we were able to _do_ something about it, but somewhere down the line, it's going to _hit_ me… we contributed to the extinction of an entire _race!_ _Forget_ the fact that they were villainous beyond _anything_ in the known universe, I… I _know_ that, but… I guess what I'm wondering is, _why_ don't I feel _good_ about it?"

Zadavia sighed, and held Paula's hands. "For what it's worth, sister, sometimes those choices are made _for_ us, and you just have to accept them. They're not always going to be _easy_ choices, either."

"I guess a hero's lot is _never_ easy," Paula sighed.

"That's why _they_ have to make the tough decisions sometimes," Tech nodded. "Before those choices get made _for_ them. Kind of like… oh, I don't know… a _prophecy?_"

"I didn't know you actually _believed_ in such things," Paula replied.

"Well, let's just say _some_ of them eventually turn out to be _overrated_," the coyote smirked.

"Yeah, I suppose. I never put much stock in them myself. Anyway, thanks for hearing me out. I feel a little better now."

"That's good," the coyote replied. "So, Princess Mellisandra, I guess you'll soon be on your way home to Freleng?"

Paula looked squarely at Tech and Zadavia, took a deep breath, clasped her hands in front of her and smiled. "_No_."

"No?"

"No. I'm sorry, Zadavia, I _know_ how much it would mean to you to have us all _together_ again, but I can't _do_ it. See, I'm so _used_ to being little ol' Paula Hayes. I've been _her_ for so long now, that I wouldn't know _how_ to be anyone else… outside of Weather Vane, that is. Besides, that wormhole _must_ have dumped me here for a _reason_; and as far as I'm concerned, the HOP Force is _it_. After everything that's happened… I belong _here_. _Acmetropolis_ is my home, it always _will_ be, and I _have_ to defend it."

Zadavia smiled and embraced her sister warmly. "Spoken like a true Frelengian. I understand, Paula. Just remember, you'll_ never_ have to defend it alone."

Tech likewise smiled. "So, does this mean you've changed your mind about resigning?"

Paula made a comical face. "Who, _me?_ Yeah, I guess I can stick around a _few_ years longer. Anyway, if I don't keep reminding Drake what a total _dweeb_ he is, who _will?_"

Zadavia smiled and cocked one eye. "The rest of the team?"

Paula was too busy laughing to answer.

"_That's_ the spirit," Tech laughed. "Feeling better?"

"Sure," Paula smiled and hugged the both of them again. "I'll see you… tomorrow…" Her voice trailed off as Massive reentered the room. "Gordon, what…?"

"I… I almost forgot," he said, as he handed her a small shoe box. "You left this behind when you took off."

"Oh, thanks," Paula said, opening the box and finding her bunny slippers inside. In spite of herself, tears came to her eyes. "You big _lug nut_," she cried, her voice choking. "Thank you." She took them out of the box, and gasped as a diamond ring fell out of one of them onto her bed cover. "Gordon… what?"

"It belonged to my great-grandmother," he smiled bashfully, "and, well, I gotta find _some_ way of keeping it in the family _somehow_…" Gordon slowly slipped the ring on the third finger of Paula's left hand and knelt down on one knee. "_You_ might think those powers are a curse, but they can't be _much_ of one if they brought us together. Paula Jeanette Hayes, Princess Mellisandra Maxima… _whoever_ you are… will you marry me?"

Paula gulped and then came to the easiest decision she had ever made.

_Now_ was the time for the tear factory. "Gordon… um… this is so embarrassing…"

"I know, babe," he smiled. "Not every princess gets a marriage proposal in her underwear…"

"No, not _that_, silly! It's just, after all this time, I _still_ don't know what your middle name is…"

From the doorway, to her surprise, the rest of the HOP Force and Loonatics, as well as Paula's adoptive aunt, uncle and cousin, yelled out, "_IT'S MICHAEL!!!_"

"Now hurry this up so we can get some shut-eye, all right?" Duck yawned.

Paula graced Massive with her most sardonic grin. "You had to go and bring _witnesses_, didn't you?"

"Just a precaution, babe," Massive smirked. "Anyway, I didn't bring them, they were already here."

"Gordon," Paula whispered, "you remember when all this started and I said I didn't know why I loved you?"

"Yeah…"

_"_Let's just say I do _now_."

"Why's that?"

"Because I _can_," she replied, wrapping her arms around the big guy as much as was possible for her to do. "Gordon Michael Paine… YES!!!" she shouted, planting the mother of all lip locks on him to a round of applause from the rest of the gang. After a few seconds of this, she giggled in his ear, "Besides, Drake's a _really sloppy_ kisser." Paula turned to the coyote. "Um, Tech, would you clear everybody out of here now?" As if to clarify her position, she said to Gordon, "You _too_, loverboy. Sorry."

"Will do," Tech grinned. "Come on, Gordon, let's go…"

"All right," he shrugged, and followed the coyote to the door, where they met Drake. "Hey, she called you a…"

"I KNOW! _I KNOW!_ Stop rubbing it in! Hmph. _Fine_ way to talk about a Knight Protector…"

"We'll see you tomorrow," Zadavia smiled.

"Likewise," Paula said, still laughing at the conversation between Massive and Drake, and then reacting as if she'd forgotten something extremely important. She had. "Oh, wait!"

"Yes?" Tech and Zadavia asked.

"Did I already mention… that I love you guys?"

"We knew it from the beginning," Zadavia smiled. "Goodnight, Paula." And with that, they _finally_ left her alone.

"Goodnight," Paula whispered, and settled down to sleep… but not before she took the bunny slippers and held them close to her. True, she was a hero, not to mention a Princess of Freleng and (as Mallory said) a woman; but – Tech's earlier comment to the contrary – it wouldn't hurt matters any if she were still a _girl…_ just for tonight.

Besides, there would _always_ be villains to fight…

and as long as they were needed, a _team_ for her to lead…

somewhere on a slightly tilted city/planet…

called Acmetropolis.

THE END (for now).

---

Story Copyright © February 17-24, 2008 by Jerry D. Withers (Furrball T. Cat). All rights reserved. Newly revised version © Sept. 12, 2009 by same. "ACMETROPOLIS," "LOONATICS UNLEASHED" and all characters, related indicia, et. al., are © 2005-2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., all rights reserved, except as follows: "General Qurrg," "The Selzerians," "Duke Sypher", "Andrea," "Uncle Ben Hayes," "Aunt May Hayes," "Pauline Hayes," "Sander Bloch" and "Colonel Karng" created and copyright © 2007-2009 by ME! All rights reserved. The "Acmetropolis" series, as I've stated repeatedly, was inspired by a line from Fire-bandicoot-coyote's "A Christmas Carol". In addition, certain trace elements of Chapter One originally appeared in "The Evolution Process" by Ippiki Ookami no Kage, and are used pursuant to permission.

Belated Credits Department:

The Holagraphone™ (mentioned in "The Turncoat") is a creation of Flexa Industries Inc., LLC.

---

Next time around: Paula discovers that not _everything_ she believed is true… and it could wind up _costing_ her – big time… in the season finale of Acmetropolis, "The Inheritance". See you then!

Just in case you missed them, here are the original reviews for Acmetropolis 6: Resigned To Fate…

acosta perez jose ramiro

2008-02-25

ch 1 Very good start! I'll check the rest later.

Great job with Paula here... and, of course, her timing wasn't exactly the best. Tech should have reminded the girl that mistakes are a reason they work as a team, to cover each other's flaws.

And once again, Drake shows he's HOP's equivalent of Duck.

Keep the good writing.

acosta perez jose ramiro

2008-02-25

ch 2 Very good one. Ben and May... I like that detail. Great job with all the characters.

Keep the good writing.

acosta perez jose ramiro

2008-02-25

ch 3 Marvelous job here.

So, Drake got the Loonaticverse's version of red kryptonite; too bad for him but at least his battle skills can still be useful. Plus, a kiss from Zadavia and then one from Mallory, well, guess he's not feeling the loss right now.

Keep the good writing.

acosta perez jose ramiro

2008-02-26

ch 4 Great job with Paula's reaction and quite cool one with Drake's plan.

Keep the good writing.

acosta perez jose ramiro

2008-02-26

ch 5 Excellent battle scenes, and very cool way to apply the prophecy in a literal way.

Naproxen... I recipe that thing at least three times a day!

Keep the good writing.

acosta perez jose ramiro

2008-02-26

ch 6 Wonderful ending! Very nice scenes, as always. And Drake certainly deserved this honor.

Keep the good writing.

Lady Dragon010

2008-03-02

ch 6 THAT WAS SO O AWSOME

SSBFreak

2008-04-01

ch 6 I love your portrayal of Sypher here. Heck, he actually gets rewarded for his troubles this time.

You do a good job at writing these things. Great work. ^_^


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